A Different Life
by Gwen9
Summary: Dom wants something different but is not sure how to get it.
1. Default Chapter

Chapter 1  
  
"Oh, shit! We got cops, cops, cops! Go!" Leon yelled into the two-way radio he was holding.  
  
People scrambled around causing a chain reaction and for the next few seconds, people were running for their cars and hauling ass out of the vicinity like the devil himself was on their tails. Devil ... cops ... to the people both watching the race and participating in the race they were one in the same.  
  
Dom slid behind the wheel of his RX-7 and slammed it into first gear, wheels screaming against the pavement in his haste to get away. He didn't need to get busted. He'd already served time in Lompoc for nearly beating a guy to death and he swore when he got out that he'd never go back. He was walking a fine line and so far luck had been on his side, but it was bound to run out one of these days. Hopefully it wouldn't be today.  
  
Driving through the streets, he pulled into a parking garage in order to hide from the cops, but he was not alone. A white Eclipse had followed him in. Dom locked the RX-7 and was making his way down the ramp when it pulled up beside him.  
  
Rolling the window down, the driver revealed herself.  
  
"Get in," she said.  
  
"What the hell are you doing here?" he asked.  
  
"Saving your ass, or at least trying to. Get in before they find us!" she urged him again.  
  
"No thanks. I'll take my chances on the street," he said before resuming his walk down the ramp.  
  
Liz shook her head. It figured that he'd choose the cops over her. Not that she blamed him. Whenever they were around each other, their common sense seemed to take a vacation and they always ended up in bed.  
  
She pulled up beside him. "I'm not going to offer again Dom. Get your ass in the car or you'll end up in jail. And we both know you won't survive if you go back."  
  
Dom acted as if he didn't hear her and walked on, but he had heard every word. He knew that she was right. She was always right. Sometimes she knew him better than he knew himself, and that scared the shit out of him.  
  
"Ok," she sighed as she put the car into gear. "Don't say I didn't try," she said before pulling away and leaving Dom to fend for himself. She didn't think for one minute that he'd get caught. He'd figure out a way to elude the cops, just like he always had.  
  
She looked up in her rear-view mirror to see Dom standing in the middle of the ramp, hands on his hips, smiling at her. This was their game. She stopped the car and he made his way around to the passenger side and climbed in, knowing exactly where they would end up.  
  
Liz pulled out of the parking garage and headed uptown, away from all of the activity. She didn't race but because she had a sports car, she would be pulled over and harassed. And since Dom was with her, that would only make things worse.  
  
She and Dom had met a year or so ago at The Racers Edge while she was with one of her friends who was buying parts for his car. Kyle knew Dom from the racing scene and introduced them. At first Liz didn't like him because he seemed cocky and full of himself. But after she watched him race, she knew why he was the way he was. He was the best and everyone knew it. Everyone wanted a piece of Dom and yet nobody could touch him.  
  
"So how much did you win tonight?" she asked.  
  
"Six grand. Not bad for ten seconds of work," he says, grinning. "So how did you know where I'd be?" he asked, settling himself back into the seat.  
  
Liz laughed. "I knew you had a place scoped out where you could stash the car, and a parking garage seemed like as good of a place as any."  
  
"How do you know about that?"  
  
"I have my ways," she says, smoothly changing gears as she maneuvered the car in and out of traffic. "Plus I followed you."  
  
That made Dom laugh. "Talked to Kyle lately?"  
  
"Yeah. He told me where the races were tonight so I thought I'd see if someone was going to finally take down the high and mighty Dominic Toretto."  
  
Dom laughed a full rich laugh that caused chills to snake down Liz's spine and wetness to pool between her legs. "Sorry to disappoint you."  
  
"Yeah well, I can always hope."  
  
"You're just mean," he said, joking with her. 


	2. Chapter 2 sexual content

Chapter 2  
  
Liz smiled and Dom sat back and enjoyed the view. Liz stood at 5'8", had brown hair that hung to the middle of her back, brown eyes, and legs that drove him insane. He loved having them wrapped around his waist as he buried himself in her. Their relationship, if you could call it that, had started out as fuck buddies. But over the past few months, things had changed between them.  
  
They were from two different worlds. Liz was a CPA and had the best of everything while Dom had to scrape for everything he had. Sure he had the grocery store and garage, but that wasn't enough to get by with, so to make up the difference, he raced. The money he made from that was more than enough, but it wasn't enough to buy himself a place in her life. There were times like these that he could close his eyes and picture them together, somewhere away from it all. But he knew it was just a dream.  
  
His life was shit and he was doing the best he could with it. His relationship with Letty never ran smoothly and he was starting to think that he'd be better off without her. They had been together for so long that it was more of a security thing than anything else. Each had their share of extra-curricular relationships, but they always came back to each other. Nobody understood it except for Dom and Letty. But there were times, like now, that Dom wished for something different.  
  
Before he realized it, Liz had pulled the car into the garage of her townhouse and shut the door behind them, effectively shutting out the world if just for a few hours. They climbed out of the Eclipse and Liz unlocked the door, flipping the kitchen lights on and throwing her purse and keys onto the bar. She walked to the refrigerator and pulled out a Corona and handed it to Dom.  
  
"You never cease to amaze me, you know that?" he asked while twisting the top off and settling himself on one of the barstools.  
  
"And how do you figure that?" she asked, perching herself up on the stool next to him.  
  
"You don't drink beer but you always have Corona on hand for when I'm here," he says taking a swig from the bottle. "Do you consult a psychic or something to know when I'll be here?"  
  
Liz laughed. "A lady never reveals her secrets. Haven't you learned that by now?"  
  
"What lady?" he jokingly asked. "I don't see a lady," he says, looking around the room.  
  
She shook her head. "I don't know what I'm going to do with you."  
  
Dom swiveled the chair so that he was facing her. "Well, you might not know what you're going to do with me, but I definitely know what I'm going to do with you," he says, leaning into her and brushing a light kiss against her lips. "But first I have to make a phone call," he says, pulling back from her and extracting his cell phone from his jacket.  
  
Leon's cell phone rang and seeing the identity of the caller, he went outside before he answered. "Where the fuck are you, dawg?"  
  
"I'm with Liz. Everyone get away ok? Anybody get picked up?"  
  
"Naw, nobody got picked up. Everyone's here at the house, partying as usual. But dude, I gotta tell you, Letty's pissed as hell that you haven't made it back yet."  
  
"Yeah well, she'll get over it. I'll be back later."  
  
"I got you covered. Later." Leon said and then hung up.  
  
Letty had seen Leon walk outside with his cell phone in hand and figured it was Dom on the other end. She watched Leon's body language and noticed that he was calm, which meant that Dom hadn't been picked up. But where in the hell was he?  
  
Dom snapped his cell phone closed and slid it back into his jacket pocket as he watched Liz walk up the stairs to the bedroom. Standing, he pulled off his jacket, hung it on the back of the barstool and followed her. By the time he made it into the bedroom, Liz was lighting candles all around. He wasn't one to fuss with such frivolities, but when he was with Liz, he didn't mind. Actually, he kinda enjoyed it. Who would have ever thought that tough-guy Dominic Toretto even knew that the word 'romance' existed? He wished he could do things like this, but Letty would laugh his ass out of the bedroom. Dom quickly slammed the door on that part of his life. Here he was somebody different, somebody he yearned to be. Spending time with Liz had shown him that there were other things in life besides cars and racing.  
  
He walked over to where she was lighting the last candle and slid his arms around her waist, pulling her back against him.  
  
"You're spoiling me, you know that?" he quietly said.  
  
Liz smiled and blew out the long match she had been using. "Isn't that why you keep coming back?"  
  
"Maybe," was all that he said. He wasn't about to tell her the real reason he kept coming back. Not yet.  
  
She turned in his arms and ran her hands up his hard chest, loving the feel of his muscles quiver under her touch. Their lips met only for a short time before Dom gently raised her tank-top sweater up and off of her with her bra following. He then reached down to slowly unzip her skirt, letting it fall to the ground where they stood. Sliding his fingers inside the waistband of her thong, he slid it off slowly and joined her skirt on the floor.  
  
Dom pulled back and looked into her eyes. "God baby, you're beautiful," he said before capturing her lips again. Breaking away from him, she crawled onto the bed and watched as he undressed.  
  
He joined her then, covering her body with his, his mouth melding with hers. He kissed her softly, licking his way down her neck, over her chest and onto her breasts where he stopped to lick and suck both nipples, gently squeezing her breasts as he did so.  
  
Kissing his way down her stomach, Dom reached her pussy and Liz arched her back as her body shuddered in anticipation. Slowly Dom licked her clit, sucking it into his mouth, nipping on it gently. He assaulted her like this for a few minutes until she couldn't take it any longer.  
  
Knowing that she was close, Dom rose between her legs as his throbbing cock found the entrance to her dripping pussy.  
  
"Are you ready for this?" Dom asked.  
  
"Always," she breathlessly answered, rubbing herself against his cock.  
  
As Dom slowly entered her, they moaned in ecstasy, loving the feel of their bodies connected this way. He started to pump himself into her, feeling her walls clench around his hardness. Their pace quickened as Liz began bucking her hips against his, meeting his every thrust, his every move.  
  
"Oh baby, don't stop! Please don't stop!" she pleaded.  
  
She pulled her left leg up and braced it against his shoulder, allowing him to drive deeper inside of her.  
  
"Oh fuck," he said, feeling his cock swell and his balls tighten. He drove himself into her as hard as he possibly could, knowing she loved it this way.  
  
"Oh yeah baby, that's it," she said, feeling the beginnings of her orgasm spread through her body. "Fuck me like that!" she screamed.  
  
That's all Dom needed. His body tensed and he shot his load deep inside her.  
  
As their bodies slowly recovered, he pulled her into his embrace and held her close. A little while later, they both drifted off to sleep together, but not before Liz noticed that something was different about Dom tonight.  
  
A few hours later Dom called for a cab and went back to the parking garage to pick up his car. Arriving back at his house, he found the party in full swing.  
  
Letty met him on the porch. "Where the fuck have you been?"  
  
"Out," Dom answered as he walked by her, or at least tried.  
  
She grabbed his arm in an attempt to stop him. "I'm sick and tired of your shit Dom."  
  
"Yeah, well get over it," he replied, pulling his arm from her and walking into the house.  
  
Leon saw him come in and made his way over to where Dom was standing.  
  
"Glad you could make it," he said laughing.  
  
Dom looked back at the door to where Letty was standing and watching them with a scowl on her face, and then turned back to Leon.  
  
"Should've stayed where I was. At least there I was happy," he commented and walked towards the kitchen to grab a beer.  
  
A few minutes later, Dom felt Letty's presence behind him. He didn't want a scene, but he knew that the shit was about to hit the fan.  
  
"Who is she?" Letty asked.  
  
"Leave it alone, Letty," Dom said, tipping the bottle back and taking a long draw.  
  
"No Dom, I won't leave it alone," she says walking into the kitchen. "I'm sick of your shit. I'm sick of you walking all over me like this."  
  
He pinned her with his stare. "Yeah, well now you know how I feel most of the time."  
  
"Get over yourself Dom," she said leaning back against the kitchen counter. Then it dawned on her who he had been with. "Man, what has this bitch put into your head? You know how we are. THIS is how we are. We fuck up and we come back, end of story."  
  
"No Letty, that's how we USED to be. But not any more. I'm tired of this, of putting each other through hell because we can't be happy together. You know as well as I do that what we have is not a relationship. I want something else."  
  
"No, you want HER!" she screamed.  
  
He walked over and stood directly in front of Letty, grasping the beer bottle in his right hand and lifting his index finger away from the bottle, pointing it at her. "You leave her out of this. She has nothing to do with it. Right now I want to be by myself so I can figure out just what in the hell I do want!"  
  
Letty didn't believe him. "You've changed over the past few months, Dom. She's changing you, pulling you away from the team, pulling you away from me!"  
  
Normally Letty couldn't care less about who he fucked, but this had gotten out of control. She had seen Liz around the races and had watched the way she and Dom tried to act as if nothing was going on, but she knew. Letty had asked around about Liz and what she found out she didn't like. She was everything Letty wasn't. She was educated and had a career, where as Letty was a high school drop-out and worked odd-jobs here and there.  
  
"Think whatever you want Letty. This is the way it's going to be," he said before walking out the back door, leaving Letty standing alone in the kitchen.  
  
Dom went out to the garage and collapsed on the sofa that had doubled as his bed for more nights than he cared to remember. He was tired of Letty, he was tired of the constant parties, and he was tired of being a nobody. Being with Liz had showed him a different kind of life, a life that he wanted. But no matter how many times he tried to figure out how to get it, he always came to the same conclusion. He couldn't. He hated being torn between duty to your family and friends and wanting something completely different. He drank the rest of his beer and stretched out on the couch, falling asleep with thoughts of Liz on his mind.  
  
The next morning Dom walked back into the house only to be disgusted by the mess that greeted him. This was just one more aspect of his life that he hated. Once, just once, he would like to walk into his house and not have pizza boxes and empty beer bottles littering the place. He continued on through the living room and made his way up the stairs to his bedroom.  
  
Mia met him in the hallway on her way to the bathroom.  
  
"Where'd you end up last night?" she asked.  
  
"On the couch in the garage," he said, stretching his cramped muscles.  
  
"That's not what I'm talking about. Where did you disappear to after the race?"  
  
Dom smiled but didn't say a word as he made his way to his bedroom, looking forward to a couple hours of shut-eye in his bed. Opening the door, he couldn't believe what he saw.  
  
Letty was in bed, in HIS bed, and she was not alone. He couldn't tell who the guy was because his face was turned away from him, but he knew that it was one of Tran's thugs. He recognized the dragon tattoo on his right arm.  
  
Fury spread through Dom like a wildfire. He wanted nothing more than to beat the bastard to a bloody pulp, but decided against it because that's exactly what Letty would have wanted. She'd want him to make a big deal about it and he was tired of playing games. Deciding that he just didn't give a rat's ass anymore, he grabbed a bag, threw some clothes into it, and left Letty and her latest victim in bed. But before he left the room, though, he left something so Letty would know that he had been there. Taking the silver bracelet off of his wrist, he laid it on the nightstand so she'd see it. She had given it to him a few years ago and he'd never taken it off, until now. He wanted nothing that reminded him of her. He was through with this chapter of his life. 


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3  
  
Dom threw his bag in the back room of the shop and collapsed on the couch, hoping to get a few hours of sleep. He'd rather be at home in his own bed but Letty had fucked that up. He wasn't going to think about it right now. All he wanted to do was sleep. Four hours later, he heard Vince and Leon in the garage working on the cars. Deciding that work sounded like the best thing to do, he pulled on a pair of overalls and joined them.  
  
Leon took one look at him and knew things weren't good.  
  
"What's the bitch done now, dawg?" he asked.  
  
Disgust covered his features and he shook his head. "Fucked someone in my bed."  
  
Vince was tightening a bolt and stopped. "You gotta be kidding me! Letty done that?"  
  
"Man, that ain't right," Leon added. "What'd you do to her?"  
  
It was then that Dom smiled. "Absolutely nothing. I left."  
  
"Man, if that'd been me, I would've yanked her and the bastard she was with outta the bed and stomped a mud hole in both their asses!" Vince angrily answered. "What the fuck were you thinking, just walking outta there?"  
  
Dom braced both hands on the frame of the car and looked at them. "Because I'm tired of her, tired of her shit, and that's that. It's over and done with, we're through. I don't care if she keeps racing with us or if she quits. I've put up with too much shit and I'm not taking it any more."  
  
Leon started laughing. "Does Liz have anything to do with this?"  
  
Dom's features softened. "You know, I've been thinking about a lot of things lately. I knew one day it'd get to this point with me and Letty, and now that it's here, I kinda wish it would have happened sooner."  
  
"So what's up with the bag? You planning on going somewhere?" Vince asked.  
  
"Right now I don't know what I'm gonna do, other than work on these cars so we can bring some money in," Dom declared, grabbing a wrench and diving under the hood.  
  
The day flew by and before Dom realized it, it was dark outside. It felt good to lose himself in his work, not having to worry about anything other than making sure the job was done right.  
  
The shop was always busy and he was making good money, but it wasn't enough. Dom pushed himself, pushed the guys to bring in more business. The money that the store and garage made went right back into them, but the money he made racing, that was his money. Everyone on the team raced and everyone made their own money. He helped them get started, but when they started winning, that's when he cut the cord. They couldn't live off of him forever.  
  
Deciding that they'd worked long enough, the guys left Dom at the garage. He made his way into the back room and started the shower, ready to wash the day's sweat away. Stepping under the cool spray, he quickly showered and dried off, grabbing a pair of jeans from the bag he had packed earlier. He had walked back out into the garage when he heard a car pull up outside and then the side door to the shop open. Thinking it was one of the guys, he didn't bother asking who it was.  
  
Out of nowhere, someone came at him with a 2X4, catching him across the back of his neck, the impact propelling him forward a few feet.  
  
"What the fuck!" Dom yelled.  
  
He turned to identify the intruder and when he did, several more guys jumped him. He got a good look at a few of them. Tran's thugs. Dom fought them off and in the process, tore the shop up. Bodies were flying through the air, landing on cars, landing on toolboxes and sending tools in every direction. At one point, several of the thugs held Dom's arms while another took shots at his face and abdomen. Adrenaline pumped through his veins and Dom totally lost it. The next thing he knew someone was trying to hold his arm still.  
  
"DOM! You gotta stop! You're gonna kill him!" the voice yelled at him.  
  
But Dom couldn't stop. He was so lost in a haze of fury that his body continued to lash out at the fuckers that dared to come into his shop and try to take him down. He continued to administer punch after punch to the intruder's face.  
  
"DAMMIT DOM! STOP!" the voice yelled again.  
  
Somewhere in the back of his brain he heard the voice. He slowly came back to himself and realized that the voice belonged to Liz.  
  
"Oh my God, Dom. What's going on here?" she asked, grabbing his arm and trying to drag him away from the listless body lying on the floor.  
  
Dom looked at the bloody body then up at Liz as if seeing her for the first time.  
  
"What the hell happened?" she asked again.  
  
He turned loose of the guy's shirt, dropping him onto ground as he got up. Liz couldn't believe that Dom was still standing. He had cuts on his face and bruises were already making an appearance on his ribcage. She hated seeing him like this and tears welled up in her eyes.  
  
Dom looked around the shop and assessed the damage. It would take some time, but he'd get it cleaned up. Spying a few guys laying in different areas of the garage, he looked at Liz.  
  
"Call Vince and Leon and tell them to get back down here."  
  
"Why Dom? What are you going to do?" she asked, worried that they might do something worse.  
  
Noticing the frightened look on her face, he lifted a bloodied knuckle up and brushed it against her cheek.  
  
"Nothing. What's done is done. I'm going to have them dump their asses down at Tran's place and leave them there."  
  
"You need to get to a hospital, Dom. You could have some cracked ribs. Look at the bruises coming up already," she said, gently touching his left side.  
  
He winced at her touch. "No hospitals. I'll heal just fine, just like I always do. Now, go call the guys. Their number is on the board beside the phone in the office."  
  
Once Vince and Leon had finished dumping Tran's guys off, they came back to the shop and found Dom, Liz and Mia in the office. Liz had called her when the guys left earlier.  
  
"I don't get it," Liz said. "Why in the hell would they jump you? I thought you guys had an agreement or something."  
  
Leon looked at Dom and wondered just how much he had told her about their lives.  
  
"We do, or at least we did," Dom said as he held his left side. "Everybody stays on their own turf until Race Wars."  
  
"So what's different? What happened to cause this?" Liz asked.  
  
Dom took a deep breath and winced at the pain it caused. "I told Letty last night that it was over, that we were done."  
  
Liz was shocked at his announcement. She couldn't believe it ... Dom had broken it off with Letty.  
  
"But I still don't understand," she started. "Just because you two broke it off, why would some guys come in and jump you?"  
  
"Because after I told her that we were finished, I slept on the couch in the garage. When I woke up, I went upstairs to crawl into my bed for a few hours and I found Letty in my bed with one of Tran's guys."  
  
"Oh my God!" she exclaimed.  
  
"I guess fucking someone in my bed wasn't enough for her so she had them come over and try to take me down," he said, now fully feeling the effects of his beating. His entire body ached from head to toe and he hated to think about just how much worse it was going to be tomorrow. "At least that's what I think."  
  
"Well, it does make sense in a twisted kind of way," Mia added. "Dom, I didn't even know that she stayed the night. I thought she had left."  
  
"Too bad she didn't," Dom commented. "Then I wouldn't be feeling like a semi ran over my ass," he said.  
  
"Well, now that we've got the mystery cleared up, we're gonna head back home," Vince said, knowing that there was nothing else they could do. They were sure there would be repercussions because of what had happened, so they would have to stay on their toes.  
  
"Mia, want us to follow you home?" Vince offered.  
  
"That's a good idea, Leon. Follow Mia home and make sure everything's on the up and up. Or even better, why don't you two stay there tonight. I don't think they'd try something else so soon, but you never know with those sneaky bastards," Dom offered.  
  
"What about you dawg? Where are you gonna bunk tonight?" Leon asked.  
  
"I'm staying here tonight. I'll go back to the house tomorrow."  
  
Liz interjected. "No you are not staying here tonight. Your ribs are probably cracked and sleeping on that thing you call a couch won't help them. You can come back to my place."  
  
Leon and Vince laughed, Mia looked pleased, and Dom blushed. The man actually blushed.  
  
"Well, you heard the woman," Dom said as he slid his body off of the desk that he had been sitting on, wincing as he did so. "I'll be back at the house tomorrow."  
  
Once there, he would clean out his bedroom, removing all traces of Letty. He wasn't sure exactly how he was going to accomplish that with cracked ribs, but he'd manage. He was determined to do some Spring-cleaning if it killed him.  
  
He closed up the shop and everyone went their separate ways. Liz tried her best to make their trip back to her townhouse as bump free as possible, but when you drive a car that's low to the ground, you feel everything. Dom braced himself as best as he could and was thankful when they finally pulled into the garage.  
  
Back at the house, Mia and the guys made a beeline to Dom's room and started cleaning. They decided that since he didn't need to be moving around much because of his ribs, they'd clean it up for him. Grabbing a couple of empty boxes from the garage, they went through the room and threw all of Letty's things into them. They cleaned out the dresser drawers, the closet, and even the bathroom. She hadn't officially moved in, but she spent more time there than she did at her own place, which meant that she had quite a bit of stuff they had to pack up.  
  
Mia stripped the bed and started a load of laundry, while the guys flipped the mattress over. They still couldn't believe that Letty had brought someone into Dom's bedroom, into his bed. What had the bitch been thinking? Mia put fresh sheets on the bed and cleaned up the room while the guys took the boxes downstairs and out to the garage. They didn't know if Letty would come back for her stuff, but at least it was out of sight now and Dom could rest once he came back home. 


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 6  
  
Dom slowly made his way upstairs and into Liz's guest bedroom.  
  
"What do you think you're doing?" Liz asked as he was about to sit down on the bed.  
  
"I was planning on sitting down. Why?"  
  
"I figured that you'd stay in my room, that way if you needed anything I'd be there to get it for you."  
  
"Liz, as much as I'd love to share your bed, I'm not exactly up to it. You know what I mean?" he asked.  
  
She laughed. "No, not like that. I wouldn't take advantage of someone who's injured, even if the injured party is you, the great Dominic Toretto."  
  
Dom chuckled and grabbed his side.  
  
"See, you can't even laugh. How in the hell are you supposed to take care of yourself in this condition?"  
  
"I've done it before and I can do it again."  
  
"Yeah right," she said, coming to his side and sliding under his arm. "Let's get you into the other bedroom where the bed's bigger."  
  
Liz helped him into her bedroom and watched as he lowered himself onto the bed. A groan escaped his lips as he sat down.  
  
"Are you ok?"  
  
"Yeah, I wanted to take a shower first, but now that I'm sitting, I think I've changed my mind."  
  
She looked at the cuts and bruises on his face and chest, and then down to his split knuckles.  
  
"No, I think a shower is definitely what the doctor ordered. Maybe it'll help with some of the soreness," she said, walking over to where he had just sat down. "Come on, let's get you into the bathroom."  
  
"Liz, it's not that I'm ungrateful for everything you're doing, but I think I can do some of this by myself," Dom says, slowing rising from the bed.  
  
She was hurt. "Oh, I'm sorry," she said, backing away from him. "I was just trying to help."  
  
"I know, but," he says as he slowly makes his way into the bathroom, "you don't have to."  
  
Liz followed. "Dammit Dom, I know I don't have to, but I feel as if some of this is my fault. I'm trying to make up for it."  
  
He turned to her, pain showing on his face as he did so. "Liz, none of this is your fault. It was bound to happen sometime."  
  
"But ..." she started, only to be cut off by him.  
  
"No buts. I'll tell you what. If you want to help, see what you can do about getting these pants off of me so I can shower."  
  
The thought of Dom naked in her shower triggered a rush of wetness between her legs, soaking her panties. She knew that she shouldn't be thinking like that right now, but she couldn't help it. Warring with herself, she tried to focus on the job of helping Dom out of his jeans and into the shower.  
  
She bought herself a little time to compose herself by reaching into the shower and turning the water to warm and the shower head to an easy setting so it wouldn't beat him to death. When she had finished this, she turned back to Dom and reached for the button of his jeans.  
  
When her hand brushed the skin of his stomach, she heard his swift intake of breath.  
  
"I'm sorry," she said, thinking that she had caused him pain.  
  
"No, it's ok," Dom answered, hoping his body wouldn't respond to her touch.  
  
Unfortunately that didn't work. She unzipped his jeans and found him getting hard. She looked up at him and smiled. Dom blushed for the second time that night.  
  
"Sorry about that," he said.  
  
"Don't worry about it. Same thing happens to me when you're around."  
  
"What? Your dick gets hard too?" he asked, trying to make light of the situation.  
  
Liz laughed. "Yeah, something like that," she answered. "Now, lets get these off of you," she said, pulling them down his legs, revealing his muscular thighs and calves. Once that task was accomplished, he stepped into the shower and she left the bathroom.  
  
Dom stood under the spray of the shower for the second time that night. Bracing himself against the wall, he thought about the events of the past few hours. Never in his life would he have thought that Letty was capable of something like this. He knew from experience that she had a temper. She'd slugged him more than once, but he knew that he had deserved it. They fought verbally and sometimes she fought physically. But during the entire time that they had been together, he never once raised his hand to her. There had been times that he'd wanted to, but he never did.  
  
He stayed in the hot shower until the water turned cool, then carefully stepped out to find Liz waiting for him with a towel.  
  
"Feel any better?" she asked as she carefully dried his body.  
  
"Yeah, the hot water worked wonders."  
  
"Good, maybe you'll be able to get comfortable now that you're relaxed," she said, continuing to dry him off. "If not, I've got some Vicodin that's sure to do the trick."  
  
"Nah, the shower should be enough," he said, taking the towel from her and throwing it onto the bathroom counter. Dom slowly made his way back into the bedroom and found that Liz had turned down the bed for him.  
  
"Do you want some shorts or something to sleep in?" she asked. "I can get them out of your bag."  
  
Dom laughed. "I think I can do it, but thanks for offering," he said, walking over to where she had put his bag on the chair beside the window.  
  
He reached into the bag he had packed earlier in the day and pulled out a pair of gray boxer-briefs and struggled to put them on. He was determined to do this one little thing by himself. Liz wanted to help him, but she knew that she had already stepped on his toes once and she didn't want to do it again. She watched as he made his way back over to the bed and gently lowered himself down to it.  
  
"Now that you're clean, would you mind if I took care of some of those cuts you've got?"  
  
He had looked at his reflection in the bathroom mirror earlier and hated what he saw. He had several cuts on his cheeks and a few on his forehead, as well as others on his body. His knuckles were raw.  
  
"That'd probably be the best thing to do. I didn't have much in the way of antiseptic at the shop. And while you're at it, do you have an Ace bandage or something so I can wrap my ribs?"  
  
Liz pulled out a basket that had an assortment of things in it.  
  
"Sure thing. I've got everything you need right here," she says, picking up a gauze pad and pouring some antiseptic on it.  
  
She gently cleaned the cuts and scrapes, doing it as lightly as she could so she wouldn't cause him any additional pain. Once she was finished, she grabbed the Ace bandage and started wrapping his torso with it, asking every now and then if it was too tight or too loose. Once she was finished, she put everything away.  
  
"Now it's my turn for a shower," she said before disappearing into the bathroom.  
  
When Liz was finished, she dressed and stood in the bathroom doorway, watching Dom sleep. His once perfect face was now covered in cuts and gashes, his lip busted from punches he'd taken. Her gaze drifted lower to his chest where bruises had begun showing through his dark skin.  
  
Crawling into the bed, she thought about Letty. Even though she hadn't met her, she'd heard about her from Kyle. Letty was a bitch on wheels and fucked just about anybody. Why Dom never ditched her ass before this was beyond comprehension. From what she knew of Dom, he was someone who protected what was his, and she figured that he'd protect his woman the same way. But then she thought about the first time that she and Dom were together.  
  
It was after one of the races and apparently Dom was paying too much attention to one of the girls that was hanging out with them. So to get Dom back, Letty took off with someone, but not before causing a huge scene. The girl Dom was talking to ended up leaving a little while later. Dom had been drinking and had come up to her and Kyle and asked if she wanted to go for a ride. She knew what he wanted and she was more than happy to oblige. Hell, who wouldn't have? He was the hottest ticket in town, could have any woman he wanted, and he had chosen her. Liz jumped at the chance. Dom climbed into her Eclipse and they sped off. She had no regrets about fucking another girl's guy, especially when they had a fucked up relationship like theirs. That was almost a year ago and they were still seeing each other. And now with Letty out of the scene, Liz wondered what was next.  
  
Dom shifted in his sleep, the pain waking him.  
  
He opened his eyes and turned to look at her. "Maybe I will take one of those Vicodin you were talking about earlier."  
  
Liz smiled and went into the bathroom to get the pill and a glass of water. Dom slowly maneuvered himself into a sitting position and took the pill from Liz, drinking the water to wash it down. He lay back down and looked over at Liz.  
  
"I've been meaning to ask you something."  
  
"What?" she asked, reaching over and turning out the lamp.  
  
"Why were you at the shop earlier?" he asked.  
  
"I was going to invite you to dinner. I called the house earlier but Mia said that you were at the shop. So instead of calling, I decided that I'd drop by. And it's a damn good thing I did. No telling what would have happened if I hadn't have showed up when I did."  
  
Dom didn't want to think about that either. He'd lost control once before and ended up in jail for it. He was glad Liz found him when she did.  
  
He reached out, ignoring the pain shooting through his ribs, and pulled her to him.  
  
"Thank you," he said before meeting her lips with his. "Thank you for saving my ass last night and thank you for saving my ass today."  
  
"All in a day's work," Liz joked.  
  
"I'm beginning to think you're my guardian angel or something."  
  
"I've told you that a lady never reveals her secrets," she said before giving him one last kiss. "Get some sleep, Dom. You deserve it," she said before turning over and closing her eyes. 


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5  
  
"I don't know how many times I've told him he can't use that as a personal deduction," Liz said into the phone receiver. After a few seconds of listening to her assistant, she closed her eyes and looked upward, as if asking for help from Above. "Fine," she said with an exasperated sigh. "I've got a few things to take care of here this morning but I'll be in after lunch. Call him back and set up an appointment for 3:30 this afternoon," she said before hanging up and turning back to the stove to finish cooking breakfast.  
  
When she turned around, Dom was standing on the other side of the bar watching her. She had her hair pulled up into a ponytail and was wearing a tank top and a pair of boy shorts. This was the first time he had ever seen her like this and he liked what he saw. All of the other times he'd been here, he left her in bed when they were finished. He'd never spent the entire night with her.  
  
"I'm sorry, did I wake you?" she asked, taking the toast from the toaster and adding it to the pile on the plate.  
  
"No, it was time to get up. I've never been the type to lie around all day," he said, watching as she brought the plate of toast around to the table and adding it to the other plates of food that was already there.  
  
"Well, now that you're up you can eat this huge breakfast I've been working on," she said taking a seat at the table.  
  
Dom eased himself down into the chair opposite of her.  
  
"So, how do you feel this morning?" she asked, spooning scrambled eggs onto her plate.  
  
"How do you think I feel?" he testily answered, then realized what he did. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean for it to come out like that. Actually I feel worse today than I did last night, but you didn't hear me just say that."  
  
Liz smiled. "Your secret is safe with me. It's kinda like being in an accident. Right after you're a little sore but the next day is when the real pain sets in," she said, smoothing apple butter onto a piece of toast. "Well, at least it was like that for me."  
  
"I know what you mean," Dom said, taking a bite of bacon.  
  
They talked all during breakfast and when they were finished, he offered to help her clean up.  
  
"You know you don't mean that," Liz joked as she started clearing the table.  
  
Dom laughed. "Believe it or not, I do know my way around a kitchen."  
  
"Just the same, you're in no condition to be up and around right now. Go sit on the couch and let me finish. I'll be just a few minutes," she said, stacking the plates in the sink.  
  
Dom made his way into the living room and lowered himself to the couch and watched Liz. She was everything he wanted in a woman and yet he couldn't have her. But what was stopping him? Letty was out of the picture, finally, so she wasn't an issue any longer. But would she mind having a grease monkey hanging around? She didn't seem the type of person who hung out with his type of people but yet here he was. Even though they hadn't been out in public together, there was something between them. Maybe it was just the sex at first, but lately things had changed. Well, at least for Dom it had.  
  
Liz ran upstairs and showered, then dropped Dom off at his house with a promise that she'd call later to check on him. He told her that she didn't have to, that she had done enough already, but she insisted. He was learning that when Liz wanted something, she was going to get it no matter what.  
  
Leon and Vince had left the house earlier and headed to the garage to clean up the mess Dom had made last night. Mia was in the kitchen when they pulled into the driveway.  
  
Looking out of the window, she saw Dom slowly extract himself from Liz's car, then laugh at something she said. Mia hated to see her brother hurt, but it was good to see him laughing. It had been a long time since he was happy. She knew about Dom and Liz and secretly hoped that they would finally make a go of it. Letty was like a sister, but she and Dom weren't meant to be together. After the stunt that she had pulled, she hated her with a passion. By doing what she did, Letty had effectively cut herself off from them.  
  
Dom made his way into the house and Mia was careful when she hugged him. She didn't want to think of her life without Dom. He was the glue that kept their little family together. If anything were to happen to him, she didn't know what she would do.  
  
"Any sign of her today?" Dom asked, not wanting to mention her name.  
  
"No, nothing last night and nothing this morning. The guys left earlier and went to the garage so it's been quiet around here," Mia commented.  
  
"Well, I need to get to the office so I guess I'll be going now," Liz said, walking to the back door.  
  
"Thanks for bringing him home, Liz."  
  
"No problem. I'll talk to you guys later," she said before walking out.  
  
Dom followed her out onto the back porch. "Liz," he called.  
  
She stopped on the steps and turned to look at him.  
  
"Thanks again . for everything," Dom sincerely said.  
  
"You're welcome. I'll call you later," she said before walking to her car.  
  
Dom stood on the porch and watched her back out of the driveway and drive off. He stood there for a few minutes and then went back into the house. Slowly making his way up the stairs, he dreaded having to clean up after Letty. But when he opened the door to his room, he saw that it had already been done.  
  
"Mia!" he called over his shoulder.  
  
Mia ran up the stairs. "What? What's wrong?" she said, worried that he was in pain again.  
  
He looked back into his room. "What happened?"  
  
She looked into the room. "Oh, that. Me and the guys took care of it all last night. You're in no shape to be cleaning so we thought that we'd do it. We put all of Letty's stuff in some boxes and they're in the garage."  
  
Dom walked into the room and stared at the bed, images of Letty and the guy flashing through his mind. He slowly sat in a chair beside the window and looked up at Mia.  
  
"Thanks for taking care of it all. I don't care if I ever see that bitch ever again."  
  
"That's the general consensus around here too. I just hope it's over, all of it."  
  
Dom sighed. "I don't think it is which means that everyone needs to stay on their toes. We don't know what else could be coming."  
  
"Well, I feel better now that you're home. I'm headed to the store so you get some rest. I'll bring the cordless phone up for you if you need to make any calls," she said, walking down the hallway and down the stairs.  
  
Dom moved to the bed and stretched himself out. He felt like shit but he knew that if he was up and around his ribs wouldn't heal. He hated not being at the garage working, but he knew that Leon and Vince would take care of things. 


	6. Chapter 6 sexual content

Chapter 6  
  
Weeks went by and nobody had seen or heard from Letty, which was probably a good thing. Dom was healing, although a little slower than what he would have liked. He had stayed home and slept that first day, but the next day he went to the garage because he didn't like being cooped up in the house. He tried to help the guys out but ended up watching instead. Dom had talked to Liz every few days, but hadn't seen her since the day she brought him home.  
  
Race Wars was still a month off and the guys were busy getting their cars ready. Dom hadn't raced since Tran's guys jumped him and he was itching to get out on the road. Deciding that he'd waited long enough, he jumped in his car and left the shop. He headed out of town and then changed his mind. He turned around and went back into town.  
  
Pulling out his cell phone, Dom dialed Liz's number.  
  
"Hello?"  
  
"Got any plans for tonight?" Dom asked.  
  
"Yeah, work," she said. "I've got a client who needs some information like yesterday so I'm working in it right now. Why? What's up? Is everyone ok?"  
  
Dom laughed. "Yeah, everyone's fine. I was just calling to see if you wanted to grab some dinner and take a drive?"  
  
"Itching to race, aren't you?"  
  
He smiled. "Yeah, something like that. I haven't been out in a few weeks and I was going stir-crazy. But since you're busy, I'll let you go."  
  
Liz hesitated, torn between needing to get this client's account finished and the need to see Dom. She hadn't seen him since she took him home that morning and even though she talked to him every few days, it wasn't the same. Liz had spent many a night lying in bed thinking about what she wanted in life. She had a wonderful career, but nobody special to share it with. She had friends that she went out with, but they weren't as fun loving and out-going as some of the friends that she had met through Kyle and his racing. She wanted to come home at the end of the day and know that someone would be there for her. She just didn't know if Dominic Toretto was that kind of person.  
  
"Dom, as much as I'd love to, I just can't. This client is a pain in the ass and if I don't get his account finished, I'll probably be finished," she said, hoping that she wasn't shooting herself in the foot.  
  
"That's ok," Dom said, hoping that disappointment didn't come through in his voice. "Maybe some other time."  
  
"If it was any night other than tonight, I'd love to. But I HAVE to get this account finished."  
  
"Liz, it's ok. I understand. Listen, I'll talk to you later," Dom said before hanging up.  
  
She sat at the table and looked at the pile of work in front of her, then looked back at the phone. She was so tempted to call him back and tell him to come get her, but she couldn't and she truly hoped that Dom understood.  
  
Dom, in the meantime, had turned his car around and headed back out of town. He knew that she was right, as usual, and couldn't fault her for needing to finish her work. From what she had said, this client must be a big one for her to bring the work home to finish. He admired that in her, her determination to succeed in her career. He knew how she felt though. Once he started working on his car, he didn't want to quit until he was completely finished, no matter how late into the night he had to work.  
  
He drove into the desert and opened her up. He felt the adrenaline coursing through his veins, felt the thrill of speed seep into him. Here he was at home. Here he could lose himself and forget about anything and everything, except racing. Dom flew down the highway at speeds no normal person would ever attempt. But it didn't bother Dom. This was what his life was all about.  
  
Several hours later, Liz had finished working on her client's account and was headed up the stairs when someone knocked on her door. She looked out the peephole and didn't see anyone so she figured that it was just kids playing a prank. She had started up the stairs for a second time when she heard it again. She thought about ignoring them, but decided against it. Opening up the door, she was caught between surprise and apprehension to find Letty standing there.  
  
Liz schooled her features. "What you do you want, Letty?" she asked as she stood in the doorway, holding onto the doorknob so tight that her knuckles turned white. She wanted to beat the shit out of her right here and now, but she knew that she couldn't. Not that she COULDN'T, it just wasn't the smart thing to do. Not yet.  
  
"What do you want?" Liz repeated.  
  
Letty looked coldly at her. "I'm only going to give you one warning. Stay away from Dom or what happened to him a few weeks ago will be a walk in the park compared to what will happen if you don't."  
  
"Is that a threat?" Liz asked, taunting her.  
  
"Take it however you want. But where I come from, yeah, that's a threat. And you know I'm not bluffing either. I've known about you two all along. I've watched you two act like nothing was going on, but I knew. And you want to know how I knew?"  
  
Liz just looked at her.  
  
"Because I followed him a few times and guess where he ended up? Right here. He didn't even bother to hide his tracks."  
  
Knowing that she shouldn't stoop down to Letty's level, she was tired of listening to her.  
  
"Maybe he didn't want to hide them," Liz started. "Maybe he wanted to you know exactly where he was going and what he was doing. Have you ever thought of that, Letty? At first I didn't understand your relationship, but after watching you whore around at the races, I figured it out."  
  
Letty raised her hand and slapped Liz across the cheek.  
  
And Liz kept right on going.  
  
"You don't love Dom and you never did. You were just with him because he was the hottest ticket on the race strip. I'm sure that if another racer came along and bumped Dom down a notch or two that it wouldn't take you long to hook up with the new guy. Well guess what. Dom's not going anywhere. He's the best and everyone around knows it."  
  
"We'll see about that," Letty commented.  
  
"We'll see about what?" a voice from the shadows asked.  
  
Both Liz and Letty turned to find Dom standing not five feet from where they were. Neither one of them had heard him.  
  
"We'll see who's on top after Race Wars," Letty said.  
  
"Get out of here, Letty," Dom strongly suggested. "NOW!"  
  
Letty turned and walked down the sidewalk, got into her car and sped off into the night.  
  
Liz raised her hand and rubbed her cheek where Letty had slapped her. It stung but she'd had worse. Dom raised his hand and cradled her face, rubbing his thumb across her cheek.  
  
"I'm sorry about that," he said.  
  
"Don't be. It's not your fault," she said before taking his hand and leading him into the house.  
  
Dom closed and locked the door behind them.  
  
"Is that all she said?" Dom asked while taking his jacket off and throwing it on the couch.  
  
"No. She said that if I didn't stay away from you that what happened earlier was nothing compared to what they'd do to you," she said, worry in her voice.  
  
Dom shook his head. "Leave it to Letty to try and call the shots. How did she know where you lived?" he asked, sitting down on the sofa where Liz joined him.  
  
"Apparently she followed you over here a few times. She said that she knew something was up and decided to follow you."  
  
He was furious. "That fucking bitch!" he roared. "What gave her the right?"  
  
Liz shook her head. "I don't know Dom. But what I do know is that she wasn't bluffing when she said that something bad would happen to you if we kept seeing each other."  
  
"She's not going to run my life, Liz. And she's not going to keep me from seeing you either, unless that's what you want," he said, hoping she didn't.  
  
"I don't want that, but I don't want you hurt again either," she said, tears threatening.  
  
Dom pulled her to him. "Nothing is going to happen to me, Liz. They caught me off-guard earlier. I wasn't expecting it but now that she's warned us, we'll all be on the lookout. I'm not letting her mess this up," he said before lowering his lips to hers.  
  
She sighed into his mouth and crawled onto his lap, straddling his waist.  
  
Liz pulled back and looked at him. "Are you ok, I mean, is this ok?" she asked, referring to her position.  
  
Dom raised his hands to her face and pulled her back down. "Perfect," he said before kissing her once more.  
  
They lost themselves in the kiss, each taking turns giving and receiving, the passion between them building.  
  
Liz pulled away from Dom and stood up, taking his hand and leading them up the stairs. They were only halfway up when they collapsed in a heap. Their need for each other was too great to even continue upstairs. They needed each other right then and there.  
  
Liz's shirt and shorts seemed to disappear and then Dom was behind her, rubbing the firm flesh of her ass, squeezing her hips. He moved down a step and placed his hands on Liz's ass cheeks, separating them as his tongue found her slit, licking her from top to bottom.  
  
Liz was caught up in a web of pleasure that she had never experienced before. She rubbed her breasts, moaning loudly as his thumb flicked over her hardened clit as his tongue explored her from behind. He slid one long finger inside of her wetness, then two, fucking her this way. It was too much for Liz and she came all over Dom's fingers, her juices running down his arm.  
  
Dom undid his pants, stroking his rock-hard cock as he stared at Liz's wet, pulsing pussy. Liz rolled over and spread her legs wide for him and together they watched as Dom's wide shaft spread her pussy lips as he eased inside.  
  
Dom held onto her thighs as he began pumping in and out of her causing her moans of pleasure to match his firm thrusts. She then rolled over and Dom slid his cock into her from behind, his shaft shining with her juices. She was kneeling on the stairs as he stood behind her, holding her hips. His thrusts were getting faster and faster, and Liz's breasts were swaying back and forth. He moved his hands from her hips and cupped her breasts in his hands, gently pinching her nipples.  
  
Liz moaned as she felt Dom's balls bouncing against her clit, and she came again. Dom felt her clenching around him and thrust hard into her one last time, emptying himself into her.  
  
A few minutes later, they made their way into the bedroom and collapsed onto the bed, falling asleep some time later. 


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7  
  
"You know, I forgot to ask you something last night," Liz commented the next morning while she and Dom were still lying in bed. After the incident with Letty, he wasn't about to leave Liz alone, so he spent the night.  
  
"What?" Dom asked, enjoying the feel of Liz's body pressed against his side.  
  
"What are you doing here?"  
  
He smiled. "Well, right now I'm in bed talking to you."  
  
She slapped his chest and then immediately apologized. "I'm sorry. Are you ok?"  
  
"Yeah, getting better every day," he said, trailing his fingers up and down her back.  
  
"No, what I meant was why did you come by last night?"  
  
"Oh, that. I was out driving and decided to stop by. I wouldn't have stopped if the lights would have been off but when I saw Letty standing at the door, I got worried."  
  
Liz's eyebrows shot up. "You did?"  
  
"Yeah. After what she's pulled, I don't trust her any more than I would a snake."  
  
She laughed at that. "That's classic," she said. "But where's your car? You didn't park on the street."  
  
"No, I drove by on the side street and saw you two so I pulled around and parked in back, then made my way up the sidewalk beside the building. I was hoping you wouldn't see me because I wanted to see what she was going to do."  
  
"I'm glad you showed up when you did. I wanted to beat the shit out of her but knew that this was not the time or place for it. She'll get hers for what she did to you, I promise you that."  
  
"I don't doubt that for a minute," Dom said knowing full well that Liz could take care of herself.  
  
They had been lying there for a little while when Liz finally screwed up her courage enough to ask Dom a question.  
  
"Dom?" she quietly asked.  
  
"Hmmm," came his lazy reply.  
  
"I have a question and I'll totally understand if the answer is no."  
  
He turned his head so that he could look at her. "What is it?"  
  
"Well," she said, now feeling nervous about bring it up. "The firm I work for is having this huge banquet Saturday night and I was wondering if you'd like to go with me? It's not a black-tie affair, but you'd have to wear a suit and you'd be hanging out with the people I work with. If you don't want to go, I'd totally understand."  
  
Dom felt honored that she would even think about asking him. He knew that she had "male friends" that would love to be seen with her, but yet she had asked him. He also knew that if he said yes to her, this would be their first appearance in public together. And on the heels of that thought came another . what would her friends think about him? He came from nothing and still had nothing. Until the time that he had met her, he didn't really care about any of that. Would they think any less of her because he was a grease monkey and street racer and didn't bring in a 6-digit annually salary? Well, with the money he made racing he came close to it, but he didn't flaunt it like some people did.  
  
Dom took a deep breath and slowly let it out. "Shit," he said, hating what he was about to do. "God, Liz, I'd love to take you, but I'm racing Saturday night. This is the first time since that weekend and I need to get back into it if I'm going to be worth anything at Race Wars. God, if it were Friday night I'd say yes, but I can't. Not on Saturday night."  
  
She was hurt . his racing came first. She thought that since Letty was out of the picture and had been for a while that things might change between them. Apparently not.  
  
"That's ok Dom, I understand," she said throwing the covers back and getting out of bed. "Your racing comes first," she said walking into the bathroom.  
  
Dom noticed the change in her and called her on it.  
  
"Awww, Liz. Come on," he said, following her into the bathroom. "It's not like that and you know it."  
  
She stood in front of the sink and looked at him in the mirror. "Well that's what it sounded like to me."  
  
"Look, I'm sorry. If this thing was on Friday I told you that I'd take you. But it's not. Why don't you call Kyle and have him take you? At least I won't worry about any guys hitting on you or trying to get you to leave with them after," Dom joked.  
  
Liz turned on him. She was furious and she couldn't stop the words that tumbled out of her mouth. "Why would that matter, Dom? We don't have any claims on each other. We're just fuck buddies, remember? Two people who just happen to have a good time together. Or have I missed something? Has something changed between us that would give you a reason to worry about me leaving a party with someone else?"  
  
Dom just stood there and looked at her. He wanted so badly to tell her how he felt, how he's felt about her for a while now, but after hearing what she just said, he decided that maybe he was wrong. He thought that she had feelings for him but now he wasn't so sure.  
  
"I guess not. Sorry, my mistake," he said as he walked back into the bedroom and started to dress.  
  
Liz stood in the bathroom not believing what had just happened. She had told him that it was ok if he didn't want to go and she turned into a crazy person when he did that exact thing. God what was happening to her?  
  
She walked to the bathroom door. "Dom?" she quietly said.  
  
He looked up at her while tying the laces to his boots.  
  
"Look, I'm sorry about all of that. I know that your racing is important to you, but I thought that, well, that things had changed between us."  
  
He finished and stood up. "I'll talk to you later," he said and then walked out of the bedroom.  
  
Liz sat on the bed and listened to him go down the stairs and then out the back door. The sound of his engine drew her to the window and she walked over and looked out. Dom was sitting in his car, just sitting there. He looked up at the window for a few seconds, backed out of the driveway and drove off.  
  
Liz realized that she may have just fucked up any chance that they might have had.  
  
Dom drove back to the house trying to figure out what had happened. She said that she'd understand if he said no, and then when he said he couldn't go, she lost it. Maybe it was getting to be "that time of the month" with her. He knew from experience with Mia that she was moody and emotional right before hers and he did his best to stay away from her for a few days. He hated getting his ass chewed out for nothing.  
  
He pulled into the driveway of the shop and turned off the motor. Fuck! Why couldn't he have just told her how he felt? Why did he leave things this way? He saw her standing in the window so why didn't he get out of the car and go back inside and tell her? Because he didn't want to make an ass out of himself if she didn't feel the same way, that's why.  
  
Vince and Leon were at the shop working on their cars.  
  
"Yo Dom! What's up brotha?" Vince asked as he walked up to them.  
  
"You guys seen Letty?"  
  
"No, why?" Leon asked.  
  
"She showed up at Liz's house last night," Dom said with disgust. He still couldn't believe it.  
  
"You gotta be shittin' me dawg!" Vince yelled. "What the fuck was she doing over there?"  
  
Dom shook his head. "She went to tell Liz to stay away from me because if she didn't, they'd come back and finish the job."  
  
"Aw fuck NO she didn't!" Leon exploded.  
  
"Yeah, she did. And then she said something about Race Wars . something about me being taken down a notch or two."  
  
"What the fuck did she mean by that?" Leon asked.  
  
Dom shrugged. "I don't know. That's when I came up and told her to get the fuck outta there."  
  
"So is Liz ok?" Vince asked.  
  
"Yeah, she's fine. Letty slapped her though."  
  
Leon laughed. "Man, that was the wrong fucking thing to do to Liz. Did she jump her ass?"  
  
"No. She said that she'll get hers when the time's right," Dom stated.  
  
Vince laughed. "Obviously Letty doesn't know everything about Liz. Kyle told me one night that she knows martial arts, kung fu or tai-kwan-do or some shit like that. She'd fuck Letty up in a heartbeat!"  
  
"Let's just hope it doesn't come to that," Dom said knowing that if Liz and Letty got into it, Liz would have the upper hand but Letty would end up fighting dirty.  
  
"So what's on the agenda today?" Dom asked. "What's gotta get out of here and what can wait?"  
  
The guys filled him in and they busted their asses to get everything done that had to be. The rest could wait. Dom threw himself into his work and tried to forget about the conversation with Liz earlier. It still bugged him that she acted that way. Something wasn't right.  
  
Three days later found Dom in an extremely foul mood and he was taking it out on the guys. They knew that something was wrong but when they asked, Dom closed up and told them that it was nothing. He wanted to call Liz and check on her but was afraid that she'd hang up on his ass for leaving her like that. So he did the next best thing. He called Kyle. When he hung the phone up that night, he felt better than he had in a few days. He knew exactly what he was going to do and he hoped that his plan worked.  
  
Saturday found the guys scrambling around the shop, checking their cars and getting them ready for the races that night. Dom knew that Liz was going to the banquet that night and hoped that she had a good time. He wasn't worried because she had asked Kyle to go with her.  
  
That night the guys drove to the strip and waited for their turn to race. Dom didn't care who he was racing. He was just happy to be back in it. He noticed Tran in the opposite lane, a few cars behind him. Too bad he wouldn't be racing him tonight. That would be sweet. Dom noticed that a couple of the cars in the opposite lane pulled out of the line, which brought Tran closer to him. He had three cars in front of him and then it was Dom's turn to race.  
  
The price was still two grand, but instead of several cars racing, it would be Dom against one other person. He didn't care, he just wanted to race. He waited patiently in line until it was his turn. Pulling up to the line he looked over at his opponent. Not recognizing him, he got ready to race. All of a sudden the guy pulled up and let Tran have his place. Dom smiled.  
  
"Nice to see you back, Dom," Johnny said.  
  
Dom just looked at him. "Wanna make this interesting?" Dom asked.  
  
"I'm listening."  
  
"How about five grand instead of two?"  
  
Johnny pulled out a wad of cash and handed it to Hector who was standing between the two cars ready to start the race and hoping that they wouldn't kill each other. Dom did the same and handed his cash to Hector.  
  
Hector walked over to Dom's car.  
  
"Boy it sure is good to see you back down here," he said.  
  
Dom smiled. "Thanks. I just hope I still have it."  
  
"You do. Just whip this fucker's ass and come back to get your money."  
  
"Will do."  
  
Hector stepped back and raised his arms in the air, then quickly dropped them signaling the race to begin.  
  
Dom and Johnny took off from the line and stayed neck and neck through the entire quarter-mile. Dom was worried that he might not have it anymore and slammed the car into fourth gear, hoping he didn't blow his engine up. Dom crossed the line ahead of Johnny by a fraction of a second. It was close but it was over. He'd done it.  
  
He slowed down and circled the block, pulling up close to where they started the race. Hector met him with a big smile.  
  
"I am so glad you did that. He's been talking shit while you've been gone."  
  
"Too bad he can't back it up, right?" Dom joked.  
  
Hector handed him the wad of cash he was holding. "Here ya go. Ten fucking grand right there."  
  
Dom took the cash and shook Hector's hand. "Thanks man," he said, walking back to his car.  
  
"Where the fuck are you going? Aren't you gonna stick around?"  
  
"Can't. There's some place I need to be," Dom said, getting into his car and driving off. 


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8  
  
Kyle and Liz sat at their table and listened to the speaker, both wishing they were at the strip watching the races. Although their dinner wasn't bad and the people at their table weren't total losers, they wanted to be somewhere else.  
  
A little while later the speaker wrapped up his speech and the band started playing. Liz knew that in order to move up in the company she had to play their game, even though she hated it. So she and Kyle made their way to the dance floor so that the partners would see that she was being a good little girl and doing what was expected of her.  
  
They had been dancing for a while when they decided to take a break. Making their way back to their table, they sat down and watched everyone.  
  
"If I haven't told you already Kyle, thank you for coming with me tonight," Liz said.  
  
He laughed. "I guess that's what I get for being single and having a woman for my best friend."  
  
"Yeah, but look at what you have tonight . free food, free drinks, and all of these wonderful people to keep us entertained," she said, remembering earlier in the night when Kyle had pointed out one of her co-workers nodding off during one of the speeches. They were betting to see how long it would take for him to either fall face first onto the table or to actually fall out of his chair. Unfortunately neither won because just as he was starting to fall, the speaker finished and the applause woke him up.  
  
"You forgot the most important thing, though," Kyle commented.  
  
"What?" she asked.  
  
Kyle looked at something over her shoulder and she turned to find Dom standing behind her.  
  
"I think you forgot your date," Kyle said as he stood up and walked over to where Dom was. "Glad you could make it," he said shaking his hand. "How much did you win?"  
  
Dom looked at Liz and then back at Kyle. "Ten grand. And that's not the best part either," he said, smiling.  
  
"What man? Tell me," Kyle excitedly said.  
  
He turned and looked at Liz. "It was Tran."  
  
She smiled. "That's good, now what are you doing here?" she asked.  
  
"I wanted to be here. I'm just sorry I couldn't get here sooner," Dom said. "The races were slow-going tonight."  
  
Liz turned to Kyle. "I take it that you two were in on this."  
  
All Kyle did was smile.  
  
Liz got up from her seat and turned to Dom and Kyle. "Good night boys," she said, turning around and making her way towards the door as she pulled her cell phone out of her purse. She quickly dialed one of the cab companies so she could catch a ride home. She was furious. How dare they gang up on her like that!  
  
Dom looked at Kyle. "Thanks for standing in for me. I think I'll take it from here, although I have no idea what I'm gonna do," he said.  
  
Kyle laughed and realized in that moment that Dom truly cared for Liz. He slapped Dom on the back. "I think you'll figure it out," he said before turning around and walking in the opposite direction.  
  
Dom wound his way through the throngs of people and tables, finally making it to the door that Liz had just exited through a few moments before. He looked around and didn't see her. Walking out of the hotel, he saw her sitting on a bench, waiting for her cab.  
  
"Liz," he called to her.  
  
"Go away Dom."  
  
He sat down beside her. "I'm sorry about this. I knew that you'd probably be pissed when I showed up, but I WANT to be here . with you. I'm sorry that I couldn't be here sooner. Hell, I'm sorry I wasn't the one who brought you in the first place. But I had to go to the races tonight and it's a damn good thing I did too."  
  
She looked up at him with tears in her eyes. "Dom, what's the most important thing in your life right now?"  
  
He knew that he needed to tell her how he felt but didn't want to because he was scared. HA! He thought to himself. Dominic Toretto had never been scared of anything in his life. But yet he was scared to reveal his true feelings to her. But he knew that if he didn't, he would never know if she felt the same way. So he jumped in with both feet and hoped he wouldn't drown.  
  
His features softened and he looked into her eyes. "You, Liz. You are the most important thing in my life right now."  
  
Fresh tears rolled down Liz's cheeks. "Then why can't you act like it? Why couldn't you come with me tonight?"  
  
He lifted his finger and brushed away the tears. "Because I'm scared, Liz. I'm scared of the feelings I have for you. I'm scared that I'm not good enough for you. I'm scared that I won't fit into your life. Look at me! I'm nothing! I own a garage and a grocery store for Christ's sake, and if that's not bad enough, I race cars illegally! How can anything good come from us being together? I can't give you what you want!"  
  
Dom calmed down somewhat and continued. "Racing gives me what I need . freedom and cash. Cold hard cash. I've been saving in hopes that one day I'll be able to get away from it all, start over somewhere else. A different life, Liz. That's what I want. I want to be able to go to work and come home to a house that's not falling apart, that's not trashed every weekend from parties after the races. I want something different."  
  
Liz's heart ached. "But Dom, would you truly be happy without all of those things? If you didn't race anymore, how would that make you feel? If you didn't have Vince and Leon and Mia around all the time, how would you feel? You'd be lost and you'd be alone."  
  
He looked at Liz. "Not if you were there," he quietly said.  
  
"Do you want me there, Dom? Do you want me in your life?"  
  
"You already are," he said.  
  
"Yeah, whenever we have an itch that needs to be scratched. That's not what I'm talking about."  
  
He smiled. "I know," he said, leaning forward and bracing his elbows on his knees.  
  
"When I'm with you, I feel like I'm a different person. I'm not a nobody that has a dead-end job and shitty life. You make me want to be someone different, a better person. I've never wanted that before I met you. I was content to stay in the same place, have the same friends, and do the same things because I didn't know any better. And then you came along. You showed me that there is a whole other world out there and I want it. I want what you have. I want a nice place to live, I want friends who like me for me, not because I just happen to be a good racer."  
  
"A damn good racer," Liz added.  
  
Dom smiled.  
  
Liz's cab pulled into the drive. She got up from the bench and walked over to where he was parked and told him that she didn't need a ride after all. She walked back over to the bench and held her hand out to Dom.  
  
"Come on, lets go back in," she said. "I've got a proposition for you."  
  
*****  
  
Liz put her purse down on the table and kept walking to the dance floor while Dom just stood there and looked at her. When she didn't feel his presence behind her, she turned around and saw him still standing by the table. Dom wasn't the smoothest person on the dance floor and he didn't want to make an ass out of himself in front of Liz.  
  
She saw the uncertainty on his face and walked back over to the table.  
  
"Come on, it's not that hard," she said, smiling up at him.  
  
"Easy for you to say. You've been doing this your whole life," he said, gripping the back of the chair.  
  
"Dom," she said, prying his fingers away from the chair and linking them with her own, "just come dance with me. It's not that hard," she says softly.  
  
He took a deep breath and let Liz lead him to the dance floor. He hadn't danced in years. But once he held Liz in his arms, it all came back to him. He held his left hand up and wrapped his right arm around her waist, pulling her close. Liz placed her right hand in his left and rested her left hand on his right arm. He wanted to wrap her in his embrace, but this was not the place for that.  
  
They started dancing. Dom was worried that he would screw up and embarrass Liz, but he didn't. They moved around the floor several times before he started to relax.  
  
Sensing that he had relaxed somewhat, she started talking.  
  
"Here's what I'm proposing. If you want to do something different with your life, you have to be prepared to make some changes."  
  
He smiled at her. "Like what?"  
  
"You said you wanted a nice place to live. Where would you live?" she asked.  
  
Dom thought for a moment. "With you," he said.  
  
"You said you wanted friends to like you for you, not because of your status in the racing world. How do you propose to do that?"  
  
"By taking you out and meeting your friends, maybe meeting some new people that neither one of us knows," he answered, swaying to the music.  
  
"What about your racing? Would you be able to give it up?"  
  
He smiled down at her. "I could try, but not until after Race Wars."  
  
Liz thought about that and decided that because it was the biggest race of the year, she'd give him that.  
  
"Ok, here's my offer. Move in with me for say, a month, become part of MY life, go out with my friends, and then tell me if that's what you really want," she said.  
  
Dom tightened his grip on her waist and pulled her hand to his mouth, pressing a kiss to the back of it. "I'll take it," he said smiling down at her.  
  
He was moving in with her ... into a nice neighborhood where you very rarely heard the wail of sirens and no engines revving at 2:30 in the morning. He was moving into a nice townhouse with furniture that actually matched. But the best part of it all was that he was moving in with her. For the first time in a long while, he was actually looking forward to something other than racing. And it was all because of the woman he held in his arms, the woman that he didn't want to disappoint, the woman who he was falling in love with.  
  
They finished the dance in silence and he took her hand, leading them back to the table where he grabbed her purse as he walked by. They made their way outside to wait for the valet to bring his car around.  
  
They stood there in silence until the valet pulled up in his car. Dom held the door open for Liz and then went around to the driver's side, pulling his coat jacket off in the process.  
  
"Nice car," the kid commented. "Wish I had one like this," he said, holding the door for Dom.  
  
"Thanks," he answers, throwing his jacket into the back and sliding behind the wheel.  
  
"Wait a minute! You're that guy who races!" the kid exclaimed. "Toretto! Yeah, that's who you are!" he said excitedly.  
  
It was at that point Dom realized that starting over with a new life wasn't going to be as easy as he thought. It sounded good in theory but real life always finds a way to slap you in the face.  
  
They drove back to Liz's townhouse each lost in their own thoughts. He pulled the RX-7 into the driveway and went around to open Liz's door for her.  
  
"By the way, you look beautiful tonight," he said before leaning down to capture her lips with his. Liz was wearing a strapless black mini-dress with matching black heels. He'd never seen her dressed up and he loved what he saw.  
  
Liz pulled away from him and smiled. "You don't clean up so bad either yourself." Dom was wearing a black suit with a white shirt, but no tie. She looked down and laughed. Instead of dress shoes, he was wearing his black boots.  
  
"Hey, you're lucky I wore the suit," he said laughing with her. "This is not something I feel comfortable in. Give me a pair of jeans and t-shirt any day over this monkey suit," he said, pulling the shirt from his dress pants, giving Liz a peek of his bronze skin . skin that she explored to her heart's content sometime later. 


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9  
  
Dom left Liz in bed on Sunday morning and drove back to the house to find it in its usual state . total chaos. He was glad that he had talked to Liz last night because this was what he was trying to get away from. Was he the only one who cared that it looked like a pack of wolves lived there?  
  
Obviously, he thought as he walked through the living room kicking beer bottles as he went.  
  
Dom heard the shower running as he passed by the bathroom so he went into his bedroom and started packing. Mia found him in his room a little while later.  
  
"What are you doing? Planning on skipping town?" she joked.  
  
"Something like that. Do me a favor? Call the guys, will ya?" he asked.  
  
"Dom, what's going on," Mia asked in a worried voice. "Has something happened with Letty? Is that why you're leaving?"  
  
"No, nothing's changed. Just call them and I'll explain everything when they get here."  
  
Mia looked at her brother and tried to figure out what was up. Deciding she wasn't going to worry about anything just yet, she called Vince and Leon.  
  
An hour later, Dom was actually nervous about talking to everyone. He never discussed his feelings with them and this was going to be a first.  
  
"Alright dawg, what's the deal? What's going on?" Leon asked.  
  
"Yeah man, if this ain't about Letty, why the meeting?" Vince chimed in.  
  
"Come on guys. Let Dom talk and then we'll all know what's up," Mia offered.  
  
Dom stood in front of them, hands in his pockets, trying to figure out how to tell them what he was about to do.  
  
Vince started laughing. "Come on Dom, just spit it out already."  
  
"I'm moving out," Dom stated, causing everyone's mouths to drop open.  
  
"What in the hell do you mean you're moving out?" Vince angrily asked.  
  
"I'm moving in with Liz."  
  
Everyone was speechless.  
  
"Which means?" Mia asked.  
  
"Which means that I won't be around."  
  
"That's not what I'm talking about and you know it. What's going on with you two? I know that you've been seeing her off and on, so what's changed?"  
  
He couldn't tell them that he wanted a different life, something totally different from what he has right now. Telling them the truth would destroy them. So he told them the next best thing.  
  
"This shit with Letty. She's already showed up at her house once and I'm afraid that she might pull something else. I don't want Liz caught in the middle of it when it's me she's pissed at."  
  
"Yeah, but you moving leaves Mia here by herself," Leon pointed out.  
  
Dom smiled. "Well, here's what I'm thinking. Why don't the two of you move in here, rent-free. That way she won't be alone in case Letty decides to try something else."  
  
Everyone looked at Dom like he had just grown two heads. They knew he wasn't telling them the whole truth.  
  
"What's the real reason, Dom? And don't blow smoke up our asses," Mia admonished.  
  
Shit, Dom thought.  
  
Taking a deep breath, he told them. "Ok, here's the other part. I want to see if me and Liz can make a go of it. And by me moving in with her, it would be just the two of us. If she moved in here with us, it wouldn't be the same. Mia lives here and you guys are always over. It wouldn't be just me and Liz, it would be all of us."  
  
"And what happens when it falls apart? You move back and boot our asses out?" Leon asked.  
  
"The only reason I want you guys to move in is because of this shit with Letty and Tran. Once that's over with, you can do whatever. Move, stay, doesn't matter to me. I just want to make sure nothing happens to Mia."  
  
Vince spoke up. "Count me in. I'll move in until this shit with Tran is done. I don't have a problem with it."  
  
Dom looked at Leon. "What about you? You moving in or not? We got plenty of room."  
  
"Yeah, I guess I could do that. Mia's a better cook than Vince," he joked.  
  
Mia looked at Vince and Leon. "If I cook for you, you two get to do the cleaning. And I don't want to walk into the bathroom and find dirty underwear lying around. You do your own laundry."  
  
Dom laughed. "She straightened me out so guess what . it's your turn now," he said, walking over and hugging Mia.  
  
"Thanks for understanding about all this," he said.  
  
"Yeah, well, I still don't believe it all, but if this is what you want us to do, we'll do it," she says, hugging him back.  
  
He shook hands with Vince and Leon. "Thanks for doing this guys. I just don't want to take a chance that Letty or Tran might try something."  
  
"No problem," Vince said walking him to the door.  
  
"I'll see you guys tomorrow at the shop," Dom said as he picked up his bag and walked out the door, looking forward to starting his new life.  
  
*****  
  
Dom pulled into the driveway of Liz's townhouse to find her washing her car, desire instantly running through his veins. She was wearing her bathing suit top and a pair of cut off shorts that left very little to the imagination. He climbed out of the car and grabbed his bag. He'd only brought some of his stuff over and would get the rest later.  
  
"I take it things went well?" Liz asked as she leaned over and washed the hood of her car.  
  
"Yeah, the guys are moving in until this shit with Tran is over."  
  
She stopped and turned to him, soapy rag in hand. "What exactly did you tell them, Dom?"  
  
He laughed. "That Letty and Tran was the reason I was moving in. I didn't want to take a chance of something happening to you."  
  
She just looked at him.  
  
"Well, that's PART of the truth."  
  
"Dom," Liz said sternly.  
  
"I also told them that I wanted to see if we could make this work between us."  
  
"And?"  
  
"Liz, I couldn't tell them everything. What would you think if your brother came in and announced that he was moving out because he hated his life, hated the way he lived? You'd take it personally, get pissed and hate him. I don't want my family to hate me, so I left that part out."  
  
"What did Mia say?"  
  
"She thinks there's something else I'm not telling her."  
  
"Very smart woman," she commented as she picked up the water hose to rinse off the car. "Wanna do yours next?" she asked.  
  
"Nah, I'll take care of it some other time," he said, putting his bag in the garage. "Give me that hose," he said, walking around the car to where she was at.  
  
Liz turned the spray nozzle towards him and he stopped.  
  
"This hose? You want this water hose?" she teased, shooting a stream of water towards his feet.  
  
Dom jumped back. "Liz," he said, warning in his voice.  
  
"Tell you what, Dom. You want this water hose, you come and get it," she said, shooting another stream of water towards him again.  
  
This time he didn't move. She looked up at his face and knew that the fun was about to begin. He slowly started walking towards her as she walked backwards around the car, shooting streams of water towards his feet every few seconds. She decided that since that wasn't working, she'd try something else. She looked him in the eyes and smiled . and then shot him square in the chest with the water.  
  
That's all it took. Dom lunged for her but missed as she snaked her way around the car, dodging him each time. He had the strength but she was smaller and moved quicker. He had chased her around the car and now she was standing by the bucket of soapy water. Deciding that she was going to get it anyway, she picked up the bucket of water and acted like she was going to douse him with it, so when he ducked to the left to avoid it and then stood up, she nailed him. He was covered from head to toe with suds.  
  
Liz started laughing at the expression on Dom's face, dropping the bucket in the process. He quickly yanked the hose back to him and grabbed the sprayer, slowly picking it up and holding it.  
  
Liz knew what was coming, but knowing that you're about to get nailed with the spray and standing there for it was two different things. She ran to the other side of the car as Dom stood in one place, spraying her until she finally gave up.  
  
Knowing that he had won, he dropped the sprayer to the ground, looked at his clothes, and laughed. He'd never been able to do anything like this with Letty. It felt good to finally have fun. Not that he and the guys didn't cut up every now and then. This was different. And it felt good.  
  
Liz walked around the car and stopped in front of Dom.  
  
"Bet that's the first time that ever happened to you. Am I right?" she asked.  
  
He wrapped her in his embrace and kissed her. Liz thought that she'd melt right then and there from that kiss. It held so much tenderness and passion that she never wanted it to end.  
  
He reached down and picked her up, never breaking their kiss. Liz wrapped her legs around his waist as he carried her through the garage and into the house, where he finally broke their kiss and slowly put her down, passion blazing in his eyes. Liz took off running up the stairs with Dom close behind. He tackled her onto the bed and they lost themselves for several hours.  
  
They never saw the black Honda 2000 sitting on the corner of the opposite street. 


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10  
  
Tuesday afternoon Liz called Dom at the garage.  
  
"What's up?" he asked when he saw who was calling on his cell phone.  
  
"A friend of mine invited us to dinner with her and her boyfriend."  
  
"Invited you or invited us?" he asked.  
  
"She invited me and said that I could bring someone . so it looks like you're that someone. So what do you say? Ready to start meeting new people?"  
  
"Yeah, I'll be finished here in another hour. Will that be ok?" he asked.  
  
"Perfect. I'll see you at home," Liz said before hanging up.  
  
Home. He liked how that sounded, especially coming from Liz.  
  
As promised, an hour later Dom jumped into his car and ran by his OLD house to grab more clothes, pulling into the driveway of the townhouse before Liz. She found him standing in the bedroom trying to figure out what to wear.  
  
"Normally I'd just grab something and throw it on, but I guess I need to look a little nicer tonight, right?"  
  
Liz walked over and picked up a pair of blue jeans and a white button down shirt.  
  
Dom smiled. "You're kidding, right?" he asked hoping she wasn't.  
  
"Nope. That'll be fine for tonight. It's just dinner, Dom. Except you need to iron your shirt."  
  
Dom looked at the shirt and then back at Liz.  
  
"Iron? There's nothing wrong with this shirt," he says, turning it around as if inspecting it.  
  
"The iron and ironing board are in the guest room closet," she said as she walked into the bathroom. "Try not to burn a hole in it," she said before closing the door.  
  
Dom shook his head and smiled. So this is what it's going to be like, he thought. He walked into the guestroom and ironed the shirt, hanging it up after he was finished. Then he joined Liz in the bathroom.  
  
"I don't hear sirens so I take it you and the iron got along?" she joked.  
  
He walked by her and swatted her on the ass. "Very funny," he said. "Did you leave me any hot water?" he asked, turning on the shower.  
  
"Nope, used it all. You'll have to make do with a cold shower," she said, smiling sweetly up at him.  
  
"You'd better be lying. Now that I'm here, no more cold showers for me," he said as he undressed and stepped under the warm spray.  
  
A few minutes later, Liz walked over to the shower. "Hey Dom?" she asked.  
  
"Yeah?"  
  
She tried not to laugh as she poured a pitcher full of cold water over the shower curtain on to him.  
  
"God damn it! What the hell was that for?" he yelled, gulping in large amounts of air and trying to recover from the shock of the cold water.  
  
"There's your cold shower for the day," Liz teased.  
  
Before she realized it, Dom had grabbed her and drug her into the shower with him, pinning her to the wall with his body and crushing her mouth with his. She tried fighting him but he was too big and too strong to get out of it. Not that she wanted to, but she thought that she'd struggle a little bit. When he grabbed her hands and raised them over her head, she knew she was lost. Dom assaulted her lips and then worked his way down her throat, leaving a trail of kisses and gentle nips along the way. Liz was so aroused that she would do anything that he asked her to do.  
  
All of a sudden, Dom turns the shower onto cold and pushed her under the spray, causing her to scream at the coldness.  
  
"Hmmm, seems you're the one who needed a cold shower, Liz, not me."  
  
Liz tried to get out of the cold water but Dom held her there.  
  
"Give up?" he taunted.  
  
"Damn it Dom! Let me out! This is cold!" Liz begged.  
  
"Give up?" he asked again.  
  
"Yes, damn it," she said struggling against him. "I give up!"  
  
Dom pulled her from the cold spray and laughed. "Just remember, what goes around comes around," he said before giving her a quick kiss.  
  
They dressed for dinner and were on their way to the restaurant when Dom noticed a car following them. He couldn't get a good look at it because it stayed two cars behind him, but he knew they were there. Each time Dom changed lanes so did the other car, as if mimicking his every move. When they arrived at the restaurant, Dom pulled into the parking lot and watched in his rear-view mirror as the black Honda 2000 passed by. They were being watched. He'd have to call the guys and put them on alert.  
  
"So these friends of yours, what do they do?" Dom asked, hoping that they weren't lawyers or something.  
  
"Janae works at the firm with me and her boyfriend, Tim, owns a construction company."  
  
Dom relaxed a little. Hopefully tonight wouldn't be all that bad.  
  
An hour later, everyone was laughing and having a good time when Dom noticed Johnny and Letty walk into the restaurant. He nudged Liz under the table and she followed his line of vision. When she spotted them, she tensed up, but immediately relaxed. She didn't want Janae and Tim to notice that anything was wrong.  
  
"If you'll excuse me for a minute," Dom said, standing and walking towards the bathroom, stopping by the phones. Once there, he pulled out his cell phone and dialed the house where Vince answered.  
  
"Just wanted to give you a heads up that we're being watched," Dom said, watching Johnny and Letty.  
  
"What the fuck are you talking about?" Vince asked.  
  
"They followed us to a restaurant tonight and just a few minutes ago they walked in, big as day."  
  
"Are they THAT stupid? I mean, come on, at least be sneaky about it."  
  
"Anything new over there?"  
  
"Nah, we just finished dinner and Leon's washing the dishes."  
  
"Damn, I wish I had a camera for that one," Dom said, laughing into the phone. "Listen, I'd better get back. I just wanted to let you know what was going on. I'll see you tomorrow."  
  
"Alright brotha, watch your back when you leave. You never know what those sneaky bastards might try."  
  
"Will do," Dom said, snapping his phone closed and making his way back to the table.  
  
Liz leaned over and whispered, "Everything ok?"  
  
"Yeah, I called the house and told Vince what was going on and to keep an eye out. Someone might be watching them too."  
  
They finished their meal and left the restaurant some time later.  
  
On the way home, Dom started laughing. "You know, I thought it'd be different."  
  
"What would be different?"  
  
"Meeting your friends. I guess I had pictured you socializing with the rich and famous, not regular people."  
  
"Oh don't worry. I do have some very rich and snotty friends, but I don't hang out with them. They're more like acquaintances than friends. But don't worry, I won't throw you to them yet," she said laughing.  
  
About that time a car pulled up on each side of them, and then a third flew into the lane in front of them, effectively blocking them in.  
  
Liz looked over at Dom, worry written across her face.  
  
"Get the cell phone out of my jacket and call the house."  
  
"What are they going to do?"  
  
"We'll just wait and see. But be prepared to hit the floor if I tell you to, got it?"  
  
Now Liz was flat out scared.  
  
Vince answered on the second ring.  
  
"They didn't waste any time. Tran's got us blocked in, one on each side and one in front," Dom told him.  
  
"Where are you?"  
  
"About twenty minutes from Liz's place."  
  
"You want some help?" Vince offered.  
  
"Nah, just sit tight. I'll take care of this," Dom said before closing his phone.  
  
Liz looked at him. "What are you planning on doing?"  
  
"Hang on," Dom said, checking his rear-view mirror.  
  
All of a sudden he slammed on the brakes, causing the cars to shoot out in front of him, allowing him to slip out from between them. Turning the wheel to the right, he flew across two lanes of traffic and took the closest road leading away from the main street. Knowing that it would take Tran's thugs a few seconds to realize what had just happened, he had gained the upper hand. He flew down the street, whipping in and out of traffic, barely missing several cars in the process.  
  
He glanced in his side mirror and saw the cars coming up on him. Dom downshifted and slid around a corner to the right, causing Liz to grab the door handle to keep from being thrown into Dom. She was praying that they would make it out of this.  
  
One of the cars opened fire, spraying bullets at them.  
  
"GET DOWN!" Dom yelled at Liz.  
  
She didn't have to be told twice. She slid down in the seat and Dom laid himself over the steering wheel, keeping himself as low as he possibly could but yet still see to drive.  
  
The bullets missed their car but glass was breaking all around them from other cars being hit. Dom looked up in the mirror and saw a car that he just passed swerve into the lane behind him, running in front of Tran's thug. He hit the car broadside and an explosion followed.  
  
Liz saw the reflection from the fireball and looked at Dom.  
  
Before they realized it, one of the other thugs pulled up close and started shooting again. Dom turned the car to the left, shooting off onto another road, except this one was a one way street, and he was going the wrong way. He dodged several cars, narrowly missing one that was pulling out of a side street. The thug didn't turn in time and ended up hitting the other car.  
  
Two down and one to go, Dom thought to himself.  
  
He took a side street and thought that he had lost the third driver, but his reprieve was cut short as the other car came at him from a different side street. They were side by side and Dom saw him roll the passenger window down and pull his gun.  
  
Slamming on the brakes, Dom slid behind the guy as he pressed the trigger, bullets flying across the hood of Dom's car and hitting the cars beside them. They were approaching an intersection and when Dom looked up, the last driver was slamming on his brakes to keep from eating the ass end of another vehicle. Dom swerved to the right and saw the thug's car flipping over the car he had just hit.  
  
Dom slowed down and took a couple of deep breaths.  
  
"Is it over?" Liz hopefully asked.  
  
He checked the mirrors and not seeing anyone following them, felt a little better.  
  
"Yeah, looks that way. You ok?" he asked, hoping that she wasn't too shaken up.  
  
Liz straightened in her seat and closed her eyes, taking a few deep breaths like Dom had done earlier. When she opened her eyes, she turned to look at him.  
  
"Honestly, no."  
  
He took her hand in his. "We'll be home shortly," he said, hoping that she'd be able to keep it together for a few more minutes.  
  
Liz had never experienced anything like that before. Sure she'd seen stuff like that done on TV with stunt drivers and everything, but this was real life. They had been chased down and shot at. They had almost died tonight and it was her fault. It was her fault because Dom had refused to stop seeing her. Letty warned them but Dom wasn't going to play her game. And because of that fact, they were almost killed. 


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11  
  
Liz held it together until they reached the safety of her townhouse and then she broke down. Huge sobs wracked her body as Dom held her in his arms. He hated the fact that she'd been caught in the middle of it all but he wasn't going to stop seeing her just because Letty threatened him.  
  
"Dom, we can't keep seeing each other," she cried against his chest. "I don't know what I'd do if something were to happen to you because of me. I kept hoping that she was lying the night she came over about what could happen, but now I know she wasn't," she cried.  
  
Dom hated Letty for what she was doing. If she couldn't have him then she was determined that nobody would.  
  
Stroking Liz's back, he softly talked to her. "Nothing's going to happen to me. And I'm not going to quit seeing you just because Letty threatened me. So you can just get that thought out of your head."  
  
He held her for a little while longer until there were no more tears to shed. When he felt her relax a little, he knew that she was going to be ok.  
  
"Why don't you go up and take a shower, relax a little," Dom suggested. "I need to call the guys or they'll be over here beating the door down."  
  
Liz pulled from his embrace and looked into his eyes. "I'm glad your here Dom, more than you'll ever know," she said before gently kissing him.  
  
Dom watched her walk up the stairs thinking the same thing.  
  
He picked up the phone and called the guys.  
  
"So what happened?" Vince asked.  
  
Dom explained everything that had happened and to say that Vince was furious was an understatement. He wanted to go out right then and take Tran out of the picture, but Dom calmed him down long enough to make him see that they couldn't do it their way. All three of them would get busted and they'd all serve time. They didn't have daddy's bucks behind them to bail their asses out like Tran did. They were on their own and had to take care of things differently. But they would get taken care of.  
  
"What I don't understand is why in the hell they showed up at the restaurant," Vince commented.  
  
"The only thing I can think of is for an alibi," Dom answered. "They were seen at the restaurant which meant that nobody could say that they were involved."  
  
"I guess it makes sense. Show up in a public place while your thugs are doing your dirty work. How's Liz taking it all? She ok?"  
  
Dom listened to the shower running upstairs and smiled. "She's doing ok. A little shaken up but she'll be fine. Listen, I need to go so I'll see you guys in the morning."  
  
"Later," Vince replied and then hung up the phone to relay everything to Leon and Mia.  
  
Dom made his way up the stairs and joined Liz in the shower, pulling her to him and holding her. They were safe.  
  
"I'm sorry for all of this Dom. It's my fault that this happened," Liz quietly said.  
  
He shook his head. "No, I'm the one who's sorry. I'm the one she's after, not you. I'm sorry that you've been caught in the middle of it all. For once in my life, I'm finally happy and then she comes along and tries to fuck things up. We'll get through this. Don't worry, nothing's gonna happen to you or me. I promise you that," he said holding her even tighter.  
  
Days went by and life seemed to return to normal, although everyone was on their guard, watching for anything that seemed out of the ordinary. When they were on the road, they were constantly checking their mirrors for someone following them.  
  
Friday night as they lay in bed, Liz turned to Dom. "Do you think they'll try something tomorrow night at the races?"  
  
"No, I have a feeling all hell's gonna break loose next weekend at Race Wars. But I can't figure out what in the hell they're up to. When Letty was here and you two were talking, you said that nobody could touch me and then she said we'll see who's on top after Race Wars. What in the hell is that supposed to mean?"  
  
"I don't know. Maybe Tran's bringing someone else in to drive. He can't take you down on the strip so maybe he's got someone who he thinks can beat you. And I wouldn't put it past them to mess with your car either. For some reason, Tran needs to be on top and from what I've seen, he'll stop at nothing to get it."  
  
"Yeah, but why?" Dom asked.  
  
Liz shook her head. "I don't know. All I know is that I'll be glad when it's all over and done with. I'm tired of living my life constantly looking over my shoulder to see if someone's there."  
  
Dom pushed Liz down onto her stomach and laid his body over hers, his hardness pressed between her cheeks. "What about like this?" he whispered into her ear.  
  
She turned her head to the side and smiled. "This I like," she said, wiggling her ass back and forth. Dom lifted himself up on his knees and pulling Liz back with him, slid his cock into her wetness. It never ceased to amaze him that no matter where they were or what they were doing that she was always ready for him. Sometimes they made love slow and easy and sometimes it was wild and crazy. This was going to be one of those wild and crazy times.  
  
Saturday night, they met the gang at the strip and Dom set up the races. He was racing three other people tonight and since this was the last race before Race Wars, he was more than ready.  
  
They stayed together, constantly scanning the area for any signs of trouble. When it was Dom's turn to race, he left Liz with Vince and Leon and drove over to the starting point. Hector had taken up his usual place and collected the money from the drivers, holding it until the race was done.  
  
Dom looked over and saw one of Tran's thugs get into the car beside him. His heart sped up a bit as the adrenaline pumped through his body.  
  
What in the hell were they up to? He thought to himself.  
  
Flipping open his 2-way radio, he called Vince.  
  
"The guy next to me is one of Tran's."  
  
"Fuck," Vince said into the radio.  
  
"What's wrong Vince?" Liz asked.  
  
"The guy next to him is one of Tran's thugs," he answered Liz and then spoke back into the radio. "I'll keep an eye on him. If anything looks like it's about to go down, I'll send the girls to the shop and we'll take care of it."  
  
"I'm going to keep going after the race and see if the guy follows. If he does, I'll let you know so you can get the girls out of there. If not, then I'll come back around."  
  
"Will do," Vince answered before clicking off.  
  
Dom sat in his car and tried to figure out what this guy's plan was, if he had one. Would he try to shoot at him while racing or would he just try to run him off the road at 140 mph? Did Tran have someone else hiding that would try to take him out? Either way, lots of people would die, including Dom. Deciding that dying wasn't in his plans for today, he got ready for the race.  
  
Hector dropped his arms and all four cars flew off of the line. Tran's guy was behind Dom and didn't look like he'd be catching up anytime soon. The other two cars were running neck and neck, but Dom was in front of them, so no worries there. Dom shifted gears and flew down Hawthorne, spectators becoming a blur as he passed them. Once he crossed the finish line, he slowed down a bit to see if Tran's guy would do something. He drove a couple of blocks and when it looked like he had turned back, Dom visibly relaxed. Turning the car around, he drove back to the group of people who were waiting to watch the next race.  
  
When he pulled up, Vince and Leon made their way over with the girls.  
  
"Dude, I hate to say it but I was a little worried," Leon said while shaking Dom's hand.  
  
"Yeah, no shit man," Vince added.  
  
"You're not the only one," Dom admitted.  
  
Mia and Liz made their way over and stayed closed to the guys. Dom pulled Liz to him and wrapped his arms around her.  
  
"You ok?" he asked.  
  
"Yeah. I was hoping it was all for show," she said.  
  
"Not as much as I was," Dom replied, glad that nothing bad happened.  
  
Hector made his way over and handed Dom his winnings.  
  
"Have you heard anything?" Dom asked him.  
  
"Nothing man. Nobody's saying a fucking thing. I just can't figure it out. What in the hell is he up to?" Hector asked.  
  
"I've been trying to figure that out for weeks. And since nothing's happened tonight, I'd put my money on next weekend at Race Wars."  
  
"Just so you know, me and the guys are behind you if you need us," Hector offered.  
  
Dom shook his hand. "Thanks man. I just might take you up on that offer. Liz seems to think that they may try to mess with the car before the races. I may need some extra eyes, know what I mean?"  
  
Hector laughed. "I got you covered. We'll take care of it," he said, then turned to look at Liz. "She's a smart woman. I'd hang on to her if I were you."  
  
"I'm trying man, I'm trying," Dom answered.  
  
"Ready to go home?" Dom asked Liz after Hector walked off.  
  
"Whenever you are."  
  
They were pulling away from the crowds when they saw Tran and Letty standing beside his car, watching them.  
  
"Think they'll try something else?" Liz asked.  
  
"I don't think so, not until next weekend," he answered. "But don't worry, I've got eyes and ears all around. Someone's bound to slip up and when they do, we'll nail them."  
  
"I hope so, Dom. I really hope so," Liz said as she relaxed back into the seat as Dom drove them home. 


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter 12  
  
Sunday afternoon Liz and Dom went over to Tim's house where he and Janae were having a bar-b-que for some of their friends. Since Dom had already met them he wasn't as nervous as he was the other night.  
  
Liz introduced him around and when the subject of his employment came up, he told everyone the truth that he was a mechanic and owned a garage. Nobody looked down their noses at him and nobody thought less of him because of that.  
  
Everyone was having a good time until one of the guys recognized his name.  
  
"Toretto," he said. "Where have I heard that name before?" he asked.  
  
Before Dom could say a word, he figured it out.  
  
"Dominic Toretto," he said to Dom as if he didn't know is own name. "I hear you race," he said.  
  
This was what Dom was trying to avoid. He didn't want his illegal racing activities brought up.  
  
When Liz noticed Dom looking around the group, she understood.  
  
"Don't worry, there's no cops here, Dom. I might have friends who are upstanding citizens, but cops they are not," she said.  
  
Several guys gathered around and Dom found himself talking about cars for the next couple of hours. Liz would wander up every now and then, giving Dom the extra confidence he needed to deal with their new friends. And friends they became. As a matter of fact, he had several prospective clients in the works. A few of them had older vehicles, like the Dodge Charger he had sitting in the garage at his house, and wanted Dom to take a look at them.  
  
On their way home, Liz asked Dom if he had a good time.  
  
"Yeah but I was a little worried when they started talking about racing. That's a part of my life I'm trying to get away from."  
  
"But don't you see, Dom. You'll never be able to escape that. It's part of you. It's been part of your life for so long that you're not a nobody. You might not have made a name for yourself in some circles, but in others, you own them."  
  
Dom laughed at that.  
  
"Laugh if you want, Dom. You can't escape that part of your life unless you pack up and move to another state."  
  
"Ok, where do you want to go?" Dom asked.  
  
Liz laughed. "I'm not going anywhere."  
  
"Then I guess we're staying here because I'm not going anywhere without you," Dom stated. "But I have been thinking about something lately."  
  
"What's that?"  
  
"After Race Wars, I'm getting out of it."  
  
Liz looked at him like he was crazy.  
  
"Well, let me rephrase that. I've been thinking about going legit, maybe try to get on the NIRA circuit or something. I've talked to Hector about it and he's trying to break in. He said that he's been around it for a little while which is why he's not racing with us and he seems to think that I'd do pretty good over there. Some of the guys mentioned it today when we were talking. And since I'm on a roll with making changes, why not add that one to the list? The money won't be as good, but at least it beats getting thrown in jail for doing it illegally."  
  
"I thought they banned you from the track after what happened," she said.  
  
"Five years," he said with a smile.  
  
"But everyone thinks that it's for life," Liz commented.  
  
"That's what I let them think," he said. "I figured that I'd spend the rest of my days racing illegally and was happy with it. I didn't want them hassling me to go legit, so I didn't say anything. But now," Dom says thoughtfully, "things are different. I don't want to worry each week that the cops are finally going to get me. You've showed me that I can still be myself and race, but it'll be legal."  
  
Liz was hoping that he'd do this but hadn't said anything, just like she hadn't said anything about any of the things Dom was changing. All she did was give him the courage to do it.  
  
The week seemed to fly by, bringing Race Wars closer, and in turn, whatever Tran had planned. Dom had talked to Hector several times over the course of the week and he still hadn't heard anything, which was starting to worry Dom. While the guys worked on their cars, Mia and Liz packed the trailers that they would be taking.  
  
Friday arrived and still they had heard nothing. They arrived at the abandoned airstrip and sat up the trailers that would serve as their temporary homes for the weekend. Hector and his guys met them a little while later and set up their camp nearby. He'd have his guys spread around, keeping an eye on things.  
  
Friday night came and went with no signs of trouble, but he did spot Letty and Tran milling around. They kept their distance but they were always there, watching. Dom never let Liz go anywhere without him. She and Mia had wandered around the grounds, talking to some of their friends, but the guys were always with them.  
  
Saturday dawned with cloudy skies and Liz didn't like the feeling in the air. She knew that something was going to happen, but had no idea what. There were so many scenarios running through her mind that it was starting to get to her.  
  
The guys jumped in their cars and got in line, waiting for their turns to race while Liz and Mia stayed with Hector and a few of his guys, sitting under the canopies that they had put together earlier. Liz was nervous and asked Hector to go with her so she could see Dom.  
  
Dom was sitting in his car talking to the guys on their 2-way radios when he saw Liz approaching. He unlocked the passenger door and she climbed in.  
  
"What is it? Did you hear something?" he asked.  
  
"No, but I know that something's going to happen Dom. I just don't know what. The guys watched the cars last night so that's not it, but there's something else. I just can't put my finger on it," she said.  
  
Dom leaned over and gently kissed her. "Don't worry about it, Liz. I don't know what they've got planned, but we'll be ready for it when they finally show themselves."  
  
"I just can't shake this feeling I have," she said, tears welling up in her eyes. "Please don't race, Dom."  
  
Framing her face with his hands, he looked into her eyes. "Liz, I have to do this. Once this weekend is over, I'm done. I haven't told the others about my plans, but when we're finished here, I'll tell them. But I have to race, Liz. I have to go out on top," he said.  
  
"But you already are," she pleaded. "Please Dom, please don't do this," she cried.  
  
He wiped the tears away that were rolling down her cheeks and then kissed her.  
  
"Go back with Hector, Liz. I'll be over there in a little bit," he told Liz.  
  
Liz got out of the car and walked with Hector back to the canopies where she joined Mia.  
  
"What is it Liz? What's wrong?" Mia asked when she saw how upset Liz was.  
  
"I don't know, Mia. I just have this feeling. I tried to talk Dom out of racing, but he won't listen," she said, trying to control her emotions.  
  
They sat together and watch as Leon and Vince win their races, and then Dom pulled up to the line.  
  
Dom sat in his car and thought about what Liz had said. Maybe she was right, maybe he shouldn't race. He'd heard enough about women's intuition that he knew they had a sixth sense about things. But he HAD to do this. He had to have this one last weekend here, and then he'd be done with it.  
  
Looking over at the other driver, Dom set the price ... five grand. The other driver nodded and showed Dom the roll of cash he had, and Dom did the same. The guy standing between the cars saw that the drivers were ready, raised his arms and then quickly dropped them.  
  
Dom wanted to have some fun so he let the other guy get a little ahead of him, and then he went to work. Pushing his car to the limit, he quickly changed gears and caught up to the guy. Changing gears again, Dom flew by the guy. He never even touched his NOS button. He crossed the line and slowed down a bit.  
  
That's when everything went wrong.  
  
His windshield shattered, sending glass in every direction. Dom took his hands from the wheel to keep glass from flying into his eyes and when he did, the car started spinning uncontrollably. Dom tried his best to gain control, but it was too much. He was spinning towards the concrete barriers at the end of the track. The last thing that went through Dom's mind was that he never told Liz that he loved her.  
  
The girl's cheers for Dom winning quickly turned to screams of horror as they watched Dom lose control of his car and spin into the barriers. Vince and Leon had just made it back to the canopy when they saw what happened.  
  
Liz started running full force down the track towards Dom's battered car, praying that he was still alive. Leon was right behind her.  
  
"Liz stop!" he yelled, grabbing her arm.  
  
"No Leon! I have to get to him!" she cried.  
  
"Look," he said, pointing towards the end of the track. "The fire trucks and paramedics are on their way. Come back and I'll drive down there," he said.  
  
Knowing that he was right, they ran to his car. In a matter of seconds, they were there and she was flying out of his car, rushing over to where Dom was pinned inside of his car.  
  
"Excuse me, miss. Please move back so we can work!" a fireman yelled at her.  
  
She saw him lying over his steering wheel, dazed and confused. Leon ran over to where she was and held onto her. Liz started screaming and crying, telling them to get him out.  
  
Vince pulled up with Mia in his car, followed by Hector and a few of his guys. They all gathered where Liz and Leon were and saw the wreckage. Mia started crying and Vince had to hold her back.  
  
Hector walked around and looked at the car. Something wasn't right. Dom had started spinning after he crossed the line, but what had caused it? He knew that nothing was wrong with the car ... they had checked it several times before the race, so something must have happened after.  
  
He turned and looked around the area, even walked back towards the finish line to see if he could see something there. Nothing. It just didn't fit. Why would he lose control all of a sudden? He wandered around a bit, and then something caught his eye. An empty bullet casing. He walked over and picked it up, finding it still warm to the touch. Those fuckers, he thought. He yelled over to his guys and when they heard, they came running.  
  
"See this?" he asked, holding up the casing.  
  
"Start searching," he said. They didn't have to be told twice.  
  
The guys spread out and milled through the crowd that had started to gather at that end of the track. Hector noticed one of Tran's guys going the other way, away from everything.  
  
Hector whistled to his guys and then pointed at the thug. In a few seconds, they had him surrounded. Before he could get another shot off, the guys had him down on the ground and were working him over pretty good. Nobody was paying any attention to them because their focus was on Dom. Once they had beat the guy unconscious, a car pulled up and they threw him into the trunk. They'd take care of him, but not until after they got some answers.  
  
The firemen were working to get Dom out of the car as fast as they could, but it wasn't fast enough for Liz and Mia. Everything seemed to be in slow motion. Once they got the door wedged open, the paramedics rushed in, taking his vitals and assessing the situation. They immediately slid a neck brace on him to keep his neck immobile. They didn't know if his neck or back was broken. Once the backboard arrived, they gently pulled Dom from the car, laying him on it so they could get to work.  
  
The paramedics worked on him for a few minutes, making sure he had no broken bones, and cleaning the superficial wounds he had received from the flying glass.  
  
Liz made her way over and held his hand as the paramedics continued working.  
  
"Dom, I'm here sweetheart," she softly said.  
  
"Liz?" he asked.  
  
"I'm here Dom. The paramedics are working on you. Your car spun out of control and you hit the concrete wall."  
  
"I heard something pop and then the glass shattered," Dom said.  
  
It was then that Liz realized what had happened. "I'll be right back," she said and then ran to where Leon, Vince and Mia were standing together.  
  
"Dom's ok but he remembered hearing a pop right before the windshield shattered," she said.  
  
"Which means that someone tried to take him out after the race," Vince said.  
  
"Where's Hector?" Liz asked.  
  
They glanced around and didn't see him, but he was just there a few seconds ago. Leon searched the crowd and spotted him.  
  
"Be right back," he said before he took off after him.  
  
Liz went back over to where Dom was now sitting up.  
  
"Leon just went to find Hector. I think we've figured out what happened," Liz told him, not wanting to say anything until they were all together.  
  
Liz stayed with Dom until the paramedics declared that he was fit enough to leave on his own, and then they joined Mia and Vince. Dom looked at his car and knew he was lucky it wasn't any worse. As it was, the passenger side was the only thing damaged, besides the windshield. They'd have to replace the front and rear quarter-panels along with the door and bumpers, but at least the car wasn't totaled.  
  
Leon had finally made his way back from talking with Hector, so Dom slid into Leon's car and everyone drove back to the trailers, where Hector was meeting them.  
  
"Any word?" Dom asked while sitting on one of the picnic tables.  
  
"Yeah," Hector answered. "Seems that one of Tran's guys took a shot at you and then tried to haul ass. I found this," he said as he handed Dom the bullet casing, "and then saw the guy trying to leave."  
  
"And?" Dom asked.  
  
"The guys grabbed him and we've got him stashed nearby. He hasn't offered up any information yet, but they're working on it."  
  
Slowly rising from the table, Dom said, "Take me there."  
  
"Dom, please think about this. You're in no condition to do anything right now," Mia pleaded.  
  
Ignoring her pleas, he walked to Hector's car and got in with Leon and Vince following in their cars. Hector left a few of his guys with the girls, just in case.  
  
The guys had stashed the thug on another part of the abandoned airport so it didn't take long for them to arrive.  
  
"Anything?" Dom asked as he approached the group of guys who were standing around.  
  
"Nothing yet. Man, do they train these guys to take a beating?" one of them asked. They had worked him over pretty good in the short time they had him.  
  
Dom walked over to the guy who was sitting on the ground, hands tied behind his back, duct tape over his mouth, and leaned down to him.  
  
"I'm only going to ask you one time, and if you don't give me the answer I'm looking for, you won't get another chance," he angrily said. "I know that Tran ordered the hit on me, but what I want to know is why. So here's your chance . either tell me what I want to know or you won't see the light of day again," Dom stated, then ripped the tape from his mouth.  
  
The guy just sat there and stared at the group, as if memorizing each and every one of them.  
  
"So, you planning on telling me what I want to know?" Dom asked.  
  
The thug didn't say a word.  
  
Dom looked towards Hector and held his hand out. Hector pulled a small revolver from his waistband and handed it to him. Dom took the gun and emptied all of the bullets from the chamber, except for one.  
  
He leaned down and picked the guy up by his shirt and placed the gun at his temple.  
  
"You ready to talk?" Dom spat.  
  
"Fuck you!" the guy yelled.  
  
"Fuck me?" Dom asked. "We'll see about that," he calmly said before pulling the trigger.  
  
Nothing.  
  
"Want to go again?" Dom asked.  
  
The guy started sweating, fear creeping into his features, now realizing that Dom wasn't going to let this go.  
  
"Tell me," he said.  
  
The thug didn't say a word.  
  
Dom pulled the trigger a second time.  
  
Nothing.  
  
The guy broke. "Alright! I'll tell you what you want to know!" he said, hoping that he hadn't waited too long.  
  
Dom lowered the pistol and looked at him. "Talk," he said. 


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter 13  
  
"Johnny's been planning this for a while now, but never had the opportunity. And then when the shit went down between you and Letty, he said that it would be just that much sweeter when he took you out. He's never been one to play second best to anyone and he thinks that if he takes you out of the picture, he'd be on top."  
  
Dom looked at him coldly.  
  
"Haven't you ever wondered what happened to his older brother? His father did everything for him and Johnny never got a thing. He saw how it was in their family and he wanted what the first born son's had. So he killed him, or rather, he had him killed. It looked like an accident but it didn't matter. He was gone and Johnny slid into his place in the family."  
  
That's exactly what Dom had figured. Tran wanted to be on top and was trying to remove him from the picture. Dom laughed at the irony of it all. He had decided that this was his last weekend of illegal racing and here Tran was trying to take him out. Once his decision became public knowledge, Tran would have moved into the number one spot anyway. Too bad he had to go through all of this, Dom thought.  
  
"What about them busting into the garage? Was that part of his plan?"  
  
"No, that was Letty's doing. She wanted to get you back for what you did," he said. "Now that I've told you what you wanted to know, let me go."  
  
Dom turned to Hector. "Do what you want with him. I'm outta here," he said.  
  
As Dom walked to the car with Leon, he heard a gunshot. Bastard got off easy, Dom thought to himself. But if they had let him go, Tran would have ended up doing the same thing.  
  
The guys pulled up to the trailers and Liz ran over to Dom.  
  
"Please tell me its over," she said.  
  
Dom pulled her into his embrace. "I hope so. Once everyone hears about my plans, things will settle down."  
  
"What plans?" Mia asked.  
  
Everyone gathered around the picnic tables and Dom told them.  
  
"This was going to be my last weekend out. From here on out, I'm going legit. No more worrying about getting busted. I've been talking to Hector about getting into NIRA and doing it legally," he said, gently hugging Liz in the process.  
  
"Has anyone seen Tran or Letty since the race?" Liz asked.  
  
Nobody had seen them and that was probably a good thing. They didn't want to be around when things went down.  
  
"Do you want to stay and watch or are you ready to go back home?" Dom asked Liz.  
  
"Whatever you want to do, Dom. It's your call," she answered, knowing that he was torn between the two.  
  
Deciding that he wanted to stay, they went back out to the canopies and watched the remaining races. People came around to see how he was doing and asking questions about what had happened. All Dom told them was that something had hit the windshield, causing it to shatter and in turn, causing him to lose control. He hated that part of it because he didn't want people talking behind his back. But now, since he was leaving, he didn't care. He was off to something bigger and better, and legal.  
  
Later that night, while everyone was gathered around the trailers, Dom spotted Tran.  
  
"I'll be right back," he told Liz.  
  
"Where are you going?"  
  
When Liz saw where he was headed, she got worried.  
  
"Dom, please don't. You don't know what he'll do."  
  
"He's not going to do a fucking thing, Liz."  
  
Liz watched as Dom walked over to where Tran was standing with some of his guys.  
  
"Well, well, well," Tran said. "Miracles do happen, hey Dom?"  
  
Dom walked up to Tran and stood toe to toe with him. When Tran's guys gathered around, he waived them off. This was between him and Dom.  
  
"I just wanted you to know that I know it was you who tried to take me out."  
  
Feigning innocence, Tran smiled. "What are you talking about, Toretto?"  
  
"But don't worry though. You're secret is safe with me."  
  
Tran stood there, hatred running through him.  
  
"Here's how things are going to be. You fuck with me, you fuck with my family, my friends, I'm gonna be the one after YOU. You got that? Oh, and the little fuck you sent to do the job, we took care of him .. AFTER he talked. But I knew it was you long before that. You've never liked taking a back seat to me. Couldn't stand the fact that I'm better than you. Too bad I'm getting out of it. I would've loved to stayed around for a little while longer and whipped your ass a few more times," Dom said before turning to walk off and leaving Tran standing alone.  
  
Letty saw the exchange and when Dom left, she went over and talked to Tran. When he told her what Dom had said about getting out, Letty couldn't believe it. Racing was his life and he was giving it up.  
  
For her, she thought.  
  
Don had just arrived back at the trailers when Letty showed up.  
  
"You son of a bitch!" she yelled. "You're nothing but a loser and you fucking know it! You and every god-damned one of your little team," she said.  
  
Then she turned to Liz. "Especially YOU," she said venomously.  
  
Liz looked up at Dom and smiled. "Now?" she asked.  
  
"Please," was the only thing that he said.  
  
Liz walked over to where Letty was standing. "You don't know fuck about what's going on Letty, so I'd suggest you take your skanky little ass back over to Tran and his guys, or have you gone through all of them already?"  
  
Noticing that Letty's control was slipping, she continued on.  
  
"How about taking on Hector's crew?" Liz taunted. "Oh wait," she said. "They won't touch you because you tried to have Dom killed. Hmmm, wonder which other group would take you?" Liz asked, looking around, giving Letty the chance to make a move.  
  
Letty lunged for Liz's neck, catching her ponytail in her hand. She yanked on Liz's hair, causing her head to snap back. Liz spun around and popped Letty in the ribs a couple of times, causing her to let go of her hair. Letty went right back after Liz. Except this time Liz stepped to the side and grabbed Letty in a chokehold, bending her over and punching her in the face a few times.  
  
Liz let go and as Letty staggered back, she spun around on her right leg, bringing her left leg around, catching Letty across the chest with the back of her leg, sending her sprawling onto the ground.  
  
Dom stood and watched as Liz put Letty in her place. Finally, someone had the courage to stand up to her. And not only was Liz standing up to her, she was taking her down.  
  
Each time Letty got up, Liz knocked her back down. Letty managed to get in a few good punches, but they didn't affect Liz. She was trained in martial arts and knew how to take a punch so that it didn't hurt. Letty came from the streets and all she knew was balls to the wall.  
  
Liz had to give it to her . Letty was taking everything she was administering. They fought for a few minutes and Liz had had enough. She jumped up and gave Letty a spinning back kick across her face, sending her to the ground for the last time.  
  
Letty looked up at Liz, bloodied and bruised, and spit at her. "This ain't over bitch," she said.  
  
Liz walked over and punched her square in the nose, sending her backwards and knocking her out in the process.  
  
She stood over Letty's body. "I'd say that it's over now," Liz commented and then turned to walk back to where Dom was.  
  
"Remind me to NEVER piss you off. I don't want you coming at me with that shit," he said before pulling her against him. "You ok?" he asked.  
  
"Couldn't be better," she said.  
  
Dom leaned down and whispered, "I think you could be," he said before gently kissing her. "How about a shower and back rub?" he offered.  
  
"Mmmm, I could definitely go for that," she said. "As long as you join me."  
  
"The shower's not big enough for both of us," Dom said.  
  
"It is if we're in the right position," she said before pulling his lips to hers again.  
  
That night while he and Liz lay in bed, Dom started laughing.  
  
"What's that for?" Liz asked.  
  
"You know, I think I've finally figured everything out," Dom said.  
  
"Yeah? What do you think you've figured out?"  
  
"I know I said that I wanted a different life, but you know what? While some things changed, some things stayed the same. Sure, I'm living in a nice place and I have new friends, but I still have my old friends and I'm still racing. Well, I will be once I get my car fixed."  
  
Liz smiled at him.  
  
"And I have you to thank for all of it. You've shown me that what I had isn't all that bad; I just needed to make some adjustments."  
  
"So, you planning on moving back to your house?" she asked.  
  
"Not unless you're tired of me living with you. I like the peace and quiet I have at your place. I like coming home to a clean house and not having to hunt for the remote control. I like knowing that you'll be there waiting for me," he said before leaning down and kissing her.  
  
When they finally came up for air, Liz took a deep breath and asked him a question. "Dom, what was the last thing going through your mind when you lost control of the car?"  
  
He had been trying to figure out a way to approach the subject and was glad that Liz had brought it up.  
  
"That I hadn't told you how I feel about you, about us," he said.  
  
"Funny, that's the same thing that was going through mine."  
  
"Wanna go first?" Dom asked, hoping that she would.  
  
"No, I asked you. You go first."  
  
Taking a deep breath, Dom finally told her how he felt. "I love you, Liz. I just wish I had told you sooner. I don't know if this will work between us, but I want to try. I know that at first we were together because of the sex, but over the past few months, it's changed. We're friends. We talk and laugh and have a good time. I've never had that with someone other than the guys and I like it. I like how I feel when I'm with you, when we're together."  
  
Tears ran down Liz's face and she gently brushed her lips against his.  
  
"I love you too Dom. I have for a while now but I was too scared to say anything because I didn't want you to think that it was a ploy to get you to stay with me. The night I picked you up after the race and we went back to my place, I knew that something was different."  
  
"So, what do we do now?" Dom asked.  
  
Liz pulled him down for a deep kiss.  
  
"Mmmm," Dom growled. "I like the way you think," he said before covering her lips with his again. 


	14. Chapter 14 sexual content

Chapter 14 - Epilogue  
  
"Dom, tell me where we're going," Liz commanded for what seemed like the one-hundredth time.  
  
"Will you just sit still and be quiet? It's not much farther," he answered.  
  
"Easy for you to say. You're not the one who's blindfolded," she pouted, causing Dom to chuckle. "Laugh all you want. I can still take it off," she added, slowing reaching her hands behind her head.  
  
"Liz," Dom said with warning in his voice.  
  
Liz smiled and let her hands fall back into her lap, and then felt Dom's fingers slide between hers.  
  
As she laid her head back, she thought back to earlier that morning.  
  
"Liz, get up!" Dom said, pulling the covers off of her and throwing them onto the floor. He'd learned that if they stayed on the bed, she'd grab them, curl up and go back to sleep, so he pulled them completely off of the bed.  
  
"Dom, leave me alone!" Liz yelled.  
  
When he smiled that silly little grin of his, she knew she was in for it. He grabbed her by one long leg and pulled her off of the bed, causing her to squeal like a little kid. She held onto one of the king size pillows by its end and slugged him with it. They ended up in a huge pillow fight and when it was all said and done, the entire room was covered in feathers.  
  
"Look at what you did!" she teasingly yelled at him.  
  
"Me? If memory serves correctly, you were the one who threw the first pillow, remember?" he leered.  
  
"Yeah, but that's only because I wanted to sleep in! It's Saturday for crying out loud. People sleep late on Saturday."  
  
"Not when they've got plans," Dom said. "Now, will you please get this mess cleaned up so we can leave?"  
  
"Me? You want ME to clean up this mess up?" she asked. "Dominic Anthony Toretto, you didn't just TELL ME to clean this up, did you?" she asked again.  
  
Fuck, Dom thought. She used my whole name. Not good. He quickly dropped his head as if he were a child who was being chastised for something. What was he thinking? He WAS being chastised for something.  
  
"In all the time that we've been together, when have you known me to bow down to your command? Huh? Tell me!"  
  
Dom lifted his head and pinned her with a hot look. "When you're on your knees sucking me off," he said.  
  
Liz closed her eyes and shook her head. Leave it to Dom to turn everything into something sexual. But she didn't mind. She loved pleasing him as much as he loved pleasing her, which is why she wanted to sleep in this morning. He had kept her up until the early morning making love to her. And now here it was 10:00 and he had dragged her ass out of bed, torn up the pillows, and then told her to clean it up.  
  
"I'm not going anywhere with you unless you help clean this mess up, Dom."  
  
Dom knew she wasn't bluffing and shifted his ass into high gear so they could get the bedroom cleaned up and then get on the road.  
  
Two hours later found them in Dom's truck headed out of Los Angeles for the day. He hadn't told her where they were going, just that he had a surprise for her. She had no clue what he was up to but she knew that she'd go to the ends of the earth with this man.  
  
As soon as Dom neared the coast, he rolled the windows down, letting the fresh ocean breeze cool them. Liz noticed the difference and wanted to take off the blindfold, but knew that by doing that, she'd spoil the fun. So she sat there and enjoyed the smells and sounds that were surrounding her.  
  
He turned the truck off of the main road and followed a smaller road through the neighborhood, then took a right onto yet another road. Here the sound of the ocean was louder, closer. Liz still couldn't tell where they were.  
  
Dom finally pulled the truck to a stop.  
  
"Don't you move, Liz. I mean it," he said, getting out and walking around to the passenger side. Opening the door, he helped her out and when she tried to take off the blindfold, he slapped her hand away. "I haven't said you can take that off, have I?" he asked.  
  
"Dom," she warned.  
  
He leaned down and dropped a quick kiss on her lips. "Just a few more minutes, I promise."  
  
Dom led her away from the truck and out towards the sound of the ocean. She smelled a grill burning which meant that someone nearby was having a bar-b- que. He led her to a certain spot and turned her so that she was facing the ocean.  
  
"Ready?" he asked as he reached up to untie the blindfold.  
  
"Dammit Dom, I've been ready since you dragged my ass out of bed this morning. How much longer are you going to torture me?" she asked.  
  
"Hmmm," he said against her neck. "You don't like being tortured?" he teased.  
  
"You know what I mean."  
  
He finally untied the blindfold and the sight that greeted Liz was absolutely breathtaking. They were standing on a bluff overlooking the Pacific Ocean, its waters crystal clear. Sunlight danced on the water as the waves crashed onto the shore below them.  
  
"Dom, it's beautiful," she said, walking out towards the stone ledge that had been built to keep people from wandering too close to the edge. "But I don't understand," she said with question in her voice.  
  
He slowly turned her around and the smiling faces of all of their friends and family greeted her. She looked around and saw the grill going, saw the picnic tables set with tons of food on them, and saw the framework of someone's house behind them.  
  
"Dom, where are we?"  
  
"Home sweetheart. Home," he said, taking her into his arms and giving her the sweetest kiss imaginable.  
  
"Who's home?" she asked, still not sure what was going on.  
  
"Ours," Dom said as he took her hand in his and walked up to the porch where everyone had gathered, patiently awaiting their arrival. Dom had had this planned for months and was glad that it was finally time to let her in on his secret. He was so tempted to tell her about it so many times, but wanted it to be something that she would always remember.  
  
They passed through the crowd and continued into the house, stopping at a makeshift drafting board.  
  
"This is our house sweetheart," he said, showing her the set of plans that were laid out on the table. The first page was the front elevation, a picture of what it would look like when it was finished. As they thumbed through the other pages, Liz realized that this was their dream house, the house that they had spent so many nights lying in bed and talking about.  
  
Since the accident three years before, Dom had left the illegal racing scene behind and moved over to the NIRA circuit, where he immediately moved to the front of the pack. He raced once or twice each month, bringing in more than he had when he raced on the streets. These winnings he put away, knowing one day he'd find a good use for them.  
  
He talked to Tim about the construction business and worked for him for a little while, and when Dom mentioned an idea he had, Tim jumped on it. Dom loved working with his hands and although he loved working on cars, he wanted something different. While Tim concentrated mainly on commercial properties, he occasionally would take on a residential project, and this is where Dom felt the most comfortable.  
  
Taking money from his winnings, he started his own company, DT Builders. It was slow going at first, but when word spread around, he had several projects lined up. Thankfully Tim was there to guide him through a lot of it, and Liz stood by his side, always there offering encouragement when Dom felt that he had bitten off too much.  
  
He had signed the house over to Mia, who asked if he would be upset if she sold it. Once the sale was completed, she gave Dom half of the money. He refused to accept it, saying she needed it start over. They had a huge fight over it and in the end, Mia won.  
  
Dom still retained ownership of the store and shop, leaving the mechanic work to Vince and Leon. In his spare time, he would swing by the shop and work on his car, getting it ready for any upcoming races. But spare time was fast becoming a thing of the past. His new venture kept him busier than usual. He had one specific crew assigned to work on his house and as soon as Dom made his daily rounds to the work sites, he would head to their house and work right beside them.  
  
He led Liz around, explaining what this was, or what that was going to be. He gave her details of how he wanted the cabinets finished, what the molding would look like around the doorways. He left nothing out. They walked up the stairs to the second floor and he led them into what would be their bedroom. It would have French doors that opened onto a deck that spanned the width of the house, and the sight from here was even more beautiful than from the first floor.  
  
The bathroom would have a glass walled shower and garden tub, each had their own sink and he had included a built in dressing table for Liz. Their closet was huge. There were three more bedrooms on the upper level, just in case they had visitors, Dom had said.  
  
Liz had moved her way up in the firm that she worked for, and with promotions came added responsibilities, more clients, and a nice paycheck. But before she had accepted her current position, she made it very clear to the partners that she was not married to the company, and that Dom was her life. If they had a problem with that, then she'd be content to stay exactly where she was. She knew that they didn't like employees like this, but because Liz was an excellent employee, they allowed it.  
  
She turned to him. "Dom, I don't know what to say," she whispered. "It's so much!"  
  
He smiled. "Nah, it's perfect. It's exactly what we've talked about. You wouldn't be happy in something else, something that didn't have everything you wanted, so I decided to do it."  
  
"How are we going to pay for it?" she worriedly asked.  
  
"The majority of it is paid for. I used the money that Mia insisted on giving me and I pulled some out of my savings. I figured that since you're a hot shot CPA now you can pay for the rest," he said laughing.  
  
"Nah, I think I'll use my money and decorate. You can finish paying for it," she told him, causing him to laugh harder.  
  
They walked back downstairs and wandered around the house again, and then joined the others.  
  
"So Liz, what do you think?" Mia excitedly asked.  
  
"Honestly, I'm still in shock. I can't believe that he did this, that he's doing this."  
  
Liz played the exceptional hostess, making sure that everyone had everything they needed, always asking if they needed anything else. Not that she minded, she loved their little family and their friends, new and old. Mia, Vince and Leon had come out, followed by Hector and a couple of his guys. Tim and Janae were there, along with some of the guys that were helping Dom with the house.  
  
The day turned to evening and everyone pitched in and helped clean everything up. After everyone left, Dom went out to his truck and pulled a couple of blankets from his toolbox, grabbing a portable radio before closing the lid.  
  
"What are those for?" Liz asked.  
  
"I thought we might spend the night out here," he said, taking her hand and leading her up the stairs and into their bedroom.  
  
She helped him spread the blankets out and watched as he turned on the radio, then he pulled her to him.  
  
"Dom, what about the neighbors? Can't they see?" she asked as he started to pull her t-shirt up and off of her.  
  
"It's getting dark. They won't be able to see up here," he said as he continued to undress her. "But you have to be quiet because they CAN hear," he said with a chuckle.  
  
Liz smiled as she heard the song that was playing. He knew that she loved this song and it fit the way he felt about her. He kissed her, loving her mouth with his as one hand cupped her ass and letting the other slide up and down her back. He moved one hand to one of her breasts, slowly massaging it while his other hand slid between them, unbuttoning her shorts and sliding them down over her hips, letting them fall to the floor.  
  
Dancin' in the dark  
  
Middle of the night  
  
Takin' your heart And holdin' it tight  
  
Emotional touch Touchin' my skin And askin' you to do What you've been doin' all over again  
  
Oh, it's a beautiful thing Don't think I can keep it all in I just gotta let you know What it is that won't let me go  
  
It's your love It just does somethin' to me It sends a shock right through me I can't get enough And if you wonder About the spell I'm under It's your love  
  
Dom tilted her face up to his as Tim sang the next verse.  
  
Better than I was More than I am  
  
And all of this happened  
  
By takin' your hand  
  
And who I am now Is who I wanted to be And now that we're together I'm stronger than ever I'm happy and free  
  
He gently lowered her down onto the blankets, never once taking his eyes from her. He loved this woman more than he ever imagined that he could love someone. It was because of her that he was where he was now. He had everything he could ever imagine. A great job, family and friends who loved him, and a woman who had shown him in more ways than one exactly how deep her love was for him.  
  
Liz lay on the blankets, oblivious to the hardness of the floor under them, loving the way Dom looked at her, as if she were a treasure. Dom reached down and grabbing the hem of his t-shirt, slowly lifted it up, exposing his bronze flesh, inch by agonizing inch. He loved to play with her this way. He kicked off his boots and then moved his hands to the button of his pants, grinning at Liz the entire time.  
  
"Dom," she pleaded.  
  
"What?" he asked, knowing that she enjoyed the game as much as he did.  
  
Liz let out an exasperated sigh and watched as Dom unzipped his pants, and then slowly slid his hands to his hips and gently pushed them to the floor, leaving him totally nude to her gaze.  
  
He was beautiful. She'd never understood what women meant when they talked about a beautiful male. She did now. And he was hers .. every glorious inch of his massive body was hers.  
  
He stepped out of his pants, kicking them aside to join the other discarded clothing items, and then joined her on the blankets. He rolled her over onto her back, sliding her thong off and tossing it aside. Crawling up next to her, he kissed her forehead lightly, kissed her eyelids when her eyes fluttered shut, and Liz enjoyed the sensations humming throughout her body.  
  
"Open your eyes," he quietly said.  
  
Liz did as he asked and he looked into her eyes as he started to slowly slide down her body, never letting his tongue leave her skin. Between her breasts he went, licking up to one of her nipples and then gently sucked it into his mouth. He opened his mouth and sucked as much of her into it as he could, lightly licking her nipple. His hands softly played with her body, teasing her other nipple. He switched to her other side, never letting his tongue lose contact between it and her skin. He did the same to her other nipple, sucking it and biting it lightly.  
  
Dom continued down her body. Once he reached the apex of her thighs, he didn't move. When she looked down at him, he licked her outer lips lightly, causing a shudder to course through her body. Dom pushed her legs farther apart and spread her lips ... his eyes locked on hers ... and licked the length of her.  
  
He licked her clit lightly, flicking his tongue across it. Sliding his tongue down, he slowly pushed it inside of her, loving the taste of her essence. He pulled back and assaulted her clit again, except this time he slid one long finger inside of her, curling it and rubbing her g-spot until she started to shake, feeling her first orgasm of the night. Dom finally relented and licked his way up to look deep into her eyes, his hand still at her pussy.  
  
He placed the head of his cock on top of her swollen lips, looking into her eyes as he rubbed it up and down the length of her slit, pushing it between her lips, teasing her. He continued this until Liz whimpered, knowing she wanted him inside of her. He slowly pushed himself into her warmth, feeling her innermost walls clenching at him, pulling him in deeper. Dom leaned down and kissed her deeply, rocking his body against hers. He pulled her legs up, placing them on his shoulders as he slid deeper into her.  
  
Dom was in heaven.  
  
Liz was having a hard time keeping quiet, but every now and then, she would let a quiet moan slip from between her lips, spurring Dom on even more. He continued to thrust himself into her until he felt her second orgasm fast approaching, her walls pulsing around him.  
  
Knowing that he couldn't hold back much longer, he thrust deep into her one last time and allowed himself to let go, filling her so completely that their juices mingled and dripped onto the blankets. Liz slowly slid her legs from his shoulders as he braced himself on his elbows, careful not to let his full weight fall against her.  
  
Snuggling her face into his chest, her lips brushed against his skin, feeling his heartbeat beginning to slow and his body began to relax. Looking out over the ocean, the full moon was rising, casting shadows all around. Dom wrapped his arms around Liz, pulling her gently against his spent body. She sighed quietly and snuggled into the crook of his arm, resting her leg over his.  
  
"Ahhhh, this is the life," she quietly said.  
  
"Yes baby, it certainly is. It's OUR life," Dom answered before drifting off to sleep.  
  
The End 


End file.
